He remembered when he first met her. How could he really forget after all? Things had changed a lot since then, including her. Vault 81 was where he first saw her. A mole rat epidemic had almost cost the life of a young boy and Frank, being a bleeding heart hero, had to do something to prevent that. What kind of man would he be if he had let Austin die?
Certainly not the same man who was at that time looking for his son Shaun. But…..that was all over.
He shook his head and in turn the sad thoughts away, his hand running through his jet black hair before he looked back at the sleeping woman, who snored very lightly. He couldn't help but chuckle at that. If she knew she snored she would either be shocked and embarrassed or want to study the effects of the noise on her partner, in other words him. He couldn't help but keep that thought close to him as he reached down and ran his hand through her short, but quickly lengthening hair. Or was it growing? He didn't know how to classify it considering her rather unique physiology, or would it be lack of physiology? Again he didn't have an answer and instead continued to stroke the side of her face, causing the young woman to stir lightly.
He lets her sleep though, continuing to sit up and smile down at her while his mind drifts away from what he didn't know to what he did know.
When he found her, she was sitting in a long forgotten lab in a secretive part of the vault. He had simply come looking for an antidote to whatever it was that Austin had contracted. He didn't expect to find a whole new vault and with it a whole new conspiracy. He had always wanted to know just how Vault-Tec was able to get away with what it did? In its vast network of workers and scientists, nobody blew the whistle.
Then again, by the time most of them probably knew who would listen to the whistle even if they blew it? Washington was gone, destroyed in atomic fire. The U.S ceased to exist in one giant flurry of violence, leaving who was left without supervision. When the adults are away the kids will play.
These thoughts were far from Frank's mind however as he and Preston Garvey battled their way through the hordes of mutated mole rats, being extra careful to not contract the disease themselves. After all, if they fell who else would protect the Commonwealth?
After a good amount of room to room combat the two minutemen reached the laboratory and opened the terminal door to yet another lab. The two looked at each other and rolled their eyes, fully expecting to be greeted with either more mole rats or yet another band of turrets and bots.
They both turned the corner, guns drawn and aimed and came face to face with a Mr. Handy robot sealed behind a plexiglass window. Although "Mr" was probably a subjective term considering the machine let out a very feminine "eep" as she saw the two armed men, attempting to hide behind a monitor. Frank and Preston both thought it a bit odd. After all the robot was showing many human characteristics.
They lowered their guns, wary as Frank approached the glass. "Hello? It's alright. We're friendlies" he said simply, the Mr/Ms Handy coming out from behind the monitor. "Are you with Vault Tec?" she asked, a feminine and distinct French accent emanating from the robot.
Frank simply looked back at Preston who shrugged, helpless to know what to do. The vault dweller turned back to the glass and smiled. "Umm yeah. Vault Tec security" he said hopefully, knowing he was rather good at convincing people. Not to mention his blue jumpsuit would undoubtedly lend an air of authenticity to his argument. He just hoped that the robot wouldn't see the number 111 printed on his back.
"Ohh zis is very good. Are you authorized to release me from my duties?" She asks, an odd tone of hope creeping into her voice. He couldn't help but smile, only imagining how eager she must be to get out of there after all this time. "Yeah. I am so authorized" he said, smirking over his shoulder again at Preston who returns a smile of his own.
"Ohh zis is very good. I will open ze door now"
And with that she buzzed them in, and practically threw the antidote into their hands before begging to escort them to wherever they were going. She also told them the rather sad story behind the existence of this extra vault. The monitoring. The mole rats. The eventual death of all involved. To Frank it was just a subsidiary tragedy in a land that was defined by heartbreak.
They took the cure up to Austin and in no time the boy was as good as new. Preston however, was eager to talk about an alliance between the Minutemen and Vault 81. Frank couldn't help but smile and shake his head at his friends eagerness but he admired it to. Dedication to make the Commonwealth a better place.
As he walked out of the infirmary he was met by the robot who quickly introduced herself. "I am quite sorry but I forgot completely to introduce myself to you when we first met. My name is Curie. Medical Lab assistant designation 23564…" she said, the numbers rattling off until she stopped, her extended eyes looking at him with something akin to hope.
"Nice to meet you Curie. I'm Frank".
He didn't exactly remember the rest. After all with everything that happened it seemed so long ago but she asked to get off with him and he agreed. Preston would be busy with a few Minutemen activities out this way, having radioed for Sturges and a few other militia members to come out and help the vault defend itself.
So, Frank and his new robot compatriot set out across the wasteland, continuing his search for his son. While Curie understood this she was not capable of sympathy, even though she could express it's logical extension. Her main purpose was the collection of data. And she was very good at it. She had even assembled a light and quick history of the Commonwealth, or at least a history as complete as a 200 year old vault dweller just unfrozen could give her.
It was a few weeks later, outside of Goodneighbor that Curie stopped her newfound "friend" .
"Frank, may I have a moment of your time?" She asked while they sat outside what was left of a small campfire under a collapsed underpass, well she floated but the principle is the same. He nodded and smiled up at her while she explained her plight. Science required data and data was much more easily acquirable if she could experience things. But as a robot she couldn't do such a thing. "I fear that all my efforts will be in vain" she said sadly to which Frank nodded and looked up towards the sky.
"Well putting you in a organic human body is out of the question. I doubt you would want that anyway. But….what about a synth? They're synthetic and not too far off from a robot? I even know who to talk to"
She hovered closer to him and couldn't help but let out a few happy noises. "You would do that for me? Ohh zank you Frank. Zank you so very much"
He just nodded and smiled, standing up and dusting his legs off before pointing in the direction of good neighbor. "Come on. It's not too far from here"
They set off and within an hour they found themselves at the memory den. Curie watched as her friend talked with the strange scientist. What was it exactly she did here? To what purpose? Curie was too interested in these things to truly follow the conversation, no matter the effect it would have on her future endeavors.
Finally, an agreement was reached and the two would wait until tomorrow until the woman they needed to meet would arrive. They checked into the hotel across the street and rented a room. Frank wished her a goodnight and laid on the bed, his eyes closing rapidly before he was snoring. Curie stayed awake, not that she had a choice, and simply watched her friend. She did not feel anything but part of her, something in her programming, wished that she did.
The morning came quickly and Frank as quick to rise, yawning and cracking his back before smiling at Curie. "Morning Curie" he said simply before standing and gathering up his things. "Ready to begin your new fact finding mission?" He asks to which she responds to the affirmative.
The memory den was only a short walk, or hover, for her and Frank and they both went directly to the back, finding the doctor speaking with a grey haired woman while another laid in one of the memory loungers. Curie simply looked at the woman who was laying down. She detected no signs of life. No signs of biology coinciding with the human biology she knew so well. What was also lacking was the inner workings and mechanics of a robot, the things she knew were inside her. "So this is what you meant by a synth" she says, to nobody in particular but directed at Frank. He turns and nods at her before looking back to the doctor and the grey haired woman. The latter nods, Curie unable to hear exactly what she said due to her mumbling it, before she walks out.
The doctor, Amara she believed her name was, turned to her and smiled. "Are you ready Curie?" She asks, holding one wire in her hand while the other was connected to the temple of the woman on the lounger, a needle on either side. "Oui" she says simply, allowing the doctor to insert the needle into one of her ports.
Within seconds, the whirring of computers can be heard and Curie feels herself sucked out of the steel prison she had come to refer logically to her body as and into darkness, knowing nothing for what feels like an eternity.
The first thing she is aware of is a voice, hovering over her. "Curie? Are you alright?! Curie?" It calls and she can't help but feel herself nod. "Oui I am okay" she says before realizing that she did indeed nod. Not only that but she felt the words she spoke exit her throat.
She...felt?
She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Frank's face close to hers, his hands on her shoulders. She felt them as well and she continued to look into the deep pools that were Frank's brown eyes. For some reason, a reason she could not yet explain, his closeness made her...feel something?
She was close to panic. There was too much data. Too much stimulus. She felt the air move in and out of her lungs. She felt the coolness of the basement upon her skin. She felt her body move on her command.
"Give her space" comes another voice, pushing Frank out of the way and replacing her line of sight with that of the doctor. "Curie, can you hear me? This is doctor Amara. Tell me, what is two plus two?"
"Four" comes her instinctive answer.
There comes a series of other questions, all of which Curie answers instinctively, feeling synapses, or something like them, firing as she did.
"She is fine. However, the adjustment period will be hard for her. I can't even really tell you because this has never been done before. Please, if you have any questions, please do return. But keep a close eye on her Frank" the doctor said, warning in her eyes.
He nodded, moving over to kneel at the side of the lounger, his hands moving to hers. "Are you ready to try and stand up?" he asks simply to which she nods, feeling comforted by his presence for the first time. It's yet another strange feeling she has to pile upon the hundreds now assaulting her.
"Okay then" he says as he moves her legs over the side and she sits up, following the logical extension of the movement. He places her hands over his shoulders and places his own on her waist, gently pulling her while telling her to push upwards. She follows his instructions precisely and stands, her hands still on him as she wobbles before stabilizing.
He remembered how she looked into his eyes, full of trust and a little trepidation. "You okay?" He asks to which she nods and moves one of her arms off of his shoulder and tries to walk on her own. The steps pose a problem but Frank generously leads, letting her follow.
She was a quick learner though and within a few minutes she had mastered walking. Being in a body naturally designed for such helped a lot.
"Okay then. Well, before we get back out there to gather more data we need to get a little better at a few things. And we need to introduce you to food and water" he says with a smile.
She turned and huffed at him. "I know what food and water is Frank" she says, her accent still seeping through as she unknowingly cocks her hips and places her hands on her Jean clad waist. She looks down, curious as to the involuntary easy movement she had just made, her hands moving upwards to inspect them. Frank nodded and smiled at her. "Huh, looks like you already have a good amount of information stored in that body" he says with a wink before pointing towards the hotel.
"Let's get some food and some sleep. It has been a long day and no doubt you're going to want to experience sleep" he said as he watched her like a hawk walking down the street. He also helped her into the small table in the lobby of the Hotel Rexford. She felt incredibly comfortable in the plush chair and the food, cram she believed it was and a bottle of Nuka Cola, were delicious and she had at least three servings before she yawned.
Initially this scared her as she thought her body was falling apart. Death was now a fear for her, one she felt instinctively.
Frank didn't laugh at her confusion but gently reached across the table and took her hand, confirming to her that she wasn't dying and that she was just tired. She wasn't entirely convinced. After all the feelings in her stomach due to the contact of his hand over hers made her feel quite strange.
However, she let him lead her to the room and opened the door for her before coughing and blushing. "Umm well there are a few night clothes I left in the dresser. They might be a little big on you but they should fit pretty well" he said before looking away. "I'm going to sleep out here and if you need me you just come and get me okay?" He asks to which she looks at him in a state of confusion.
Why was he acting so odd? Why was he embarrassed? Blushing was a sign of embarrassment after all. Or was it fever? Without her analytical memory Curie was unable to remember. But she did not want to make her friend uncomfortable so she nodded and entered into the room, her eyes fixated on Frank who smiles at her between the gaps and closes the door.
It was then that she felt a new emotion. Loneliness.
It wasn't something she liked too much. Regardless though, she tentatively began to disentangle herself from her clothes, her fingers clumsily undoing the buttons of her flannel shirt, revealing more and more skin until finally the front of her shirt was open all the way down. She shrugged it off her shoulders and looked at the mostly clean mirror that was provided to the room.
Her body was another thing that had shocked her a bit. Intellectually she knew that female breasts were for feeding young children. Now she was standing there with a pair of rather pert breasts herself. She couldn't help it as she cupped them with her hands, running her fingers up and down the flesh and sending chills down her own body.
One thing was very much for sure. Whoever had designed the synths had made it very hard for the synths themselves to realize they weren't human if they so desired.
She ceased her ministrations on herself and began on her pants, stepping out of them and leaving herself in the panties that she was wearing. Wishing to explore more but also being very tired led her to simply forgo further data collection and open the drawer of the dresser, pulling out the long nightwear Frank had provided for her. It was long and purple and comprised of the softest of materials. It felt amazing against her hands, and Curie couldn't help herself in her excitement to feel it against her body. She pulled it over her head, finding the opening at the bottom and concluding that this was the only way to put said garment on. It took her a few tries of not putting her head through a hole meant for her arms instead but she finally got it, pushing her head through the large hole directly in the middle.
She let the fabric fall down her body and she couldn't help but smile as she looked down at herself. It did feel amazing. Feeling in itself was amazing. The ability to interact with the environment and have it interact with you.
Another yawn escapes her throat and this time she knows what it means. So instead of panicking she lays on the bed and pulls the blanket up over her while she lays her head down the soft pillow. Her eyes begin to close of their own volition and Curie's last thought before she fell asleep was that she was surprised by how much she already had an academic understanding of.
When she woke up the next morning she stretched and stepped out of the bed, instantly rushing outside to wake Frank. A strange emotion entered her chest as she saw him curled into himself on a sofa, strange, but not foreign. She understood it. After all running the odds it was obvious that she was feeling attraction, a normal human female's response to seeing an attractive and kind human male.
She couldn't contain herself and woke him up by shaking his shoulders , still dressed in her night shirt.
Needless to say, he, who had experienced the awful feeling of being woken up early before, was much less excited than her about the interruption. Seeing her face though, that made him smile as she started to ramble on explaining herself and how she felt about waking up.
The rest of the morning went easily enough with the two eating and dressing for the road before exiting Goodneighbor and moving off in a southerly direction.
Curie was in love with life, and she was quick to pick up on whatever she could. Music and dance quickly became something that spoke to her. She had heard so many of the prewar tunes and knew all the classics but hearing them, actually hearing them, while also being able to move along to the tune of them, was utterly amazing.
Frank usually sat down and watched her, laughing as the dulcet tones of Diamond City radio affected her so. One night however, she couldn't help herself as she pulled him to his feet and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Dance with me" she ordered with a smile, his hands going to her waist as they both moved together in a fair amount of syncretism. It only took a few times of Curie stepping on his feet for her to get used to dancing with a partner.
"You're a quick learner," he said with a smile, twirling her and pulling her back to his chest, the yellow glow of the Glowing sea to their east illuminating the sky.
"But what made you want to dance with me?" He asks as the music slows and they in turn slow to accommodate the new music. She lays her head on his chest and blushes, the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile. "I read about it in one of ze books I have gathered. It is a romance and it seemed to be a current thread in all ze books I've read of such a type that a man and woman should dance together. No?"
He swallowed painfully, nervous about how she looked up at him after finishing her explanation. What was going on here?
"Well, yeah I suppose. Dancing was pretty popular before the war"
"Did you ever dance with your wife?" She asks in her own innocent way. That was one of her most endearing qualities to him. Her openness and seeming inability to offend. If anyone else had said something like that he would've had one of his introspective moments of brooding. With Curie though? That was impossible. After all, wasn't it all one great experiment to her?
"Yes. We used to dance a lot. We would even go to places called nightclubs to dance with other people around as well. Well before Shaun" he added with a chuckle, remembering how having a baby interrupted a lot of what you knew before.
"Come to think of it, you're the first one I've danced with in over 200 years Curie" he said with a smile while the music ended. The DJ and friend of Frank's, Travis,
turned to other matters, a promotion from Sheng's water stand and a few other Diamond City vendors.
He sat down, tired from the day's travel and tired in general. It wasn't long before Curie joined him, sitting close enough for her thigh to touch his. "I am glad for zat" she says simply, avoiding looking at him directly. "I like dancing and I very much like dancing with you"
The silence reins for a few more moments before she continues. "I very much would have liked to go to a nightclub with you. Not like ze Third rail but a real prewar nightclub"
Frank leans back against the log where they are resting and smiles as he looks up at her. "Well you certainly would have been the talk of the club Curie" he said absentmindedly.
"And why is zat?" she asks a little angrily. "Because I am a robot who is now a woman?"
"Well no," he says nervously, taken aback by the anger in her voice. That was a new one as well. "Because of how beautiful you are Curie".
The word stops her instantly and she cannot continue to think fully. Beautiful? She knew what the word meant. Adjective, describing something that is pleasing to the eye. She was pleasing to his eyes?
She turns her head and looks down at him, amusement creeping into her mind as she watches the blush spread across his face.
"Well maybe I shouldn't have said that" he says to which she is quick to respond. "So are you saying you didn't mean it?"
"No. Not at all. I meant it it's just….it might not have been appropriate for me to say it." He says, hoping she wouldn't be angry at him. Instead she simply giggles and moves closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder as her hand goes to his chest. Again instinct took over much of what she was doing and never before had Curie been so thankful for that human art of prediction.
"We should always tell ze truth Frank. Even if it is embarrassing. For example, I am very glad you told me the truth about me being beautiful. It makes me very happy to know you think zat" she says before looking back up at him.
"Is my turn now no? For ze truth that is" she says before taking a breath, still not quite over the euphoria that comes from inhaling oxygen and feeling the rush of air down her throat. "I find you to be a very handsome man. Very kind, sweet and caring as well. And….you make me feel strange" she says before looking up into the sky instead.
"Strange? What do you mean? Is something wrong with your body?" He asks, nervousness creeping into his voice. It was always a concern that her synthetic body would fall apart or that there would be some failing of it. Losing Curie was something he feared very deeply at this point.
"No, no no. From reading ze novels I read I know they are quite normal feelings. At least for a woman" she says, trying to push more of her robotic former self to the forefront of her mind to avoid feeling embarrassment or nervousness and failing miserably at it.
"I cannot lie. I am jealous when you speak about Nora, not that you should not, you should mourn her. But when you speak of ze past I wish that it was me in your arms instead of her. That you and I could have had a house and Shaun and a missing dog instead of her" she says before looking back towards Frank.
"What I mean is that I wish for us to be a couple. Like in ze books I read and like in your stories of ze past" she finishes quietly, leaving Frank's eyes to wide as he looks at the very fragile looking woman. "Wow Curie, I...well I had no idea you felt that way. I would be lying if I didn't say that I felt something but….I didn't know if it was right. I mean you…"
"Are a synth?" She asks quietly, sadness in her voice. She was sure that had gambled and lost. His arms go around her waist and hug her into his chest, practically pulling her into his lap. "I was going to say 'are so smart and driven' and that I didn't expect you would have feelings for me. I didn't think much mattered you aside from data you could collect" he says with an appraising look.
Curie nuzzles into him, content to be in his arms at last before she sighs in happiness. "You are not like me so you have the ability to be wrong my love" she says with a teasing laugh as she moves up and rubs her nose against his. "You matter very much to me" she says, looking deeply into his eyes. "I love you Frank" she says as his face breaks out into a wide smile.
"I love you too Curie. More than you can ever know" he says as he returns her stare. It isn't long however until Frank is nervous again, unsure of where to go from this point. After all, they had been travelling together for months and this was the first time that a situation like this had come up. He would rather have been fighting super mutants, or at least one part of his brain thought so, while the rest, with the vote of his body was very happy to be in this situation.
"Sooooo...what do we do now Curie?" he asks, knowing that she would have an answer. After all she always did. She simply smiles, her eyes fluttering a bit before she looks back up into his. "Well it has been a long time for you and never for me so I have only ze novels and science to go on, but I would very much like to assume that this is the point where we, as a female and male who are attracted to each other, have sexual intercourse" she says with a light laugh.
Frank's eyes just go wide as he hears what she has to say and he can't contain his shock. "Curie, are you...well sure you want to make love? I mean that's a rather bold step and it would be your first time.."
He's silenced by her lips, soft and gentle on his her arms encircle his shoulders and neck and she places her rear directly in his lap, something a certain part of aphis anatomy thoroughly enjoyed.
Moments pass until Curie releases his lips and smiles, her face flush from arousal and excitement, all traces of embarrassment long gone. "I like zat term better. Make Love. Much less sanitized and sterile than how we scientists explain it. And oui. Very much so" she says, her hands going to the zipper of his blue vault 111 jumpsuit and pulling it down, exposing his muscled chest.
It's enough to send the vault dweller over the edge as he grasps her by the waist and pins her to his bedroll, his hands moving on to either one of her wrists as he kisses up and down her jawline and neck.
Unknown to either of them, off in the distance was the settlement of Greygarden, where the Mr. Handy's worked at growing larger and larger tatos and muitfruits. While none of them left their posts, they were rather alarmed by the loud screams of "oui,oui,oui" that echoed throughout that section of wasteland that night. Little did they know that they were listening in on the culmination of a love and a very rewarding fact finding mission. After all, Curie found out very many rather pleasurable today bits about men and women that night. Frank? Well he didn't learn as much as Curie but he sure felt as much as Curie.
When the two woke the next morning they woke in a pleasant mood. A mood that Curie had never felt and Frank had not felt since the bombs dropped. She was nestled into his chest, his chin resting on her head as his muscular are!s wrapped around her chest. He felt a little guilty. After all, he had still not found Shaun. But… he found something else. 'I just want to know what happens when I tell him his stepmother is a synth' he thought to himself with a smile as he let the woman sleep some more.
The next few months passed in a blur and it was a blur of much tragedy. The death of Paladin Danse, the destruction of the institute. Shaun's death. He had found his son, but much too late. He was aged and in charge of the institute. He wasn't even his son anymore. He had become a monster. The worst kind. One that thinks he's a hero.
Frank led the Minutemen and destroyed the institute, killing his own son. At least it carried with it closure. He knew what happened.
Preston tried to talk him into staying on with the Minutemen. He even enlisted Piper and Nick Valentine to convince his friend. But a pair of bright eyes that was always watching him, always by his side, convinced him that he couldn't keep fighting. War. War never changes. That was a fact of life. But the men who fight the wars? They certainly do change. And change Frank had.
He turned his friend down but assured him that if he ever needed him all he needed to do was call, just as long as it wasn't because a settlement needed his help. And with that Frank walked over the bridge and out of Sanctuary Hills for the last time. He vowed he would never return. That was his old life. A life that had been taken from by forces outside of his control. Or maybe they had been? After all, is an ant really anything outside of his colony? Don't all the ants play a part? He had during his life. He had been a soldier almost every day of his life until that point. Shaun and Nora had been the only break he had and they had been taken from him. Now? He was getting another break. And he wouldn't be a cog in any machine any longer.
When he entered Diamond City that day, having ditched his vault suit for a some farmhand clothes he found, the first sight that greeted him was Curie. She was standing outside the noodle bar, idly making conversation with Takashi. Needless to say the conversation was one sided but it didn't matter to Curie.
Another thing he loved about her. Everyone mattered to her but him? He mattered just a little bit more. And Curie to him? Sometimes he felt that she was all that mattered.
She was wearing a green house dress he had scavenged for her, knowing that she had an appreciation for pre-war luxuries. She had always been physically attractive to him, but the slight changes she had undergone in the months of their being together were noticeable. She had been eating better than the previous owner of her body so she was no longer stick thin. She wasn't large either, she was perfect. Her hair had even grown out a good bit, now reaching her shoulders. It was strange just how synths could thrive if they were left to their own devices and if you cared enough to look.
"Oui Takashi, zat is very funny" she says, laughing as he snuck up behind her.
"Yanin shimasko" the robot says in response, giving him enough time to wrap his arms around her waist and kiss her neck, leading to her screaming and giggling in surprise. "Frank! You are back. Did things go well with Preston? He is not too mad at you is he?" She asks, concern seeping into her voice.
"Preston understands sweetie. He was very thankful to both of us for what we did and I told him that if he ever needed us again, and I stressed that it was to be a serious situation, we would be there. But enough about that. Before we go to our new home here, how about we stop by the chapel first?" He asks her with a smile to which she cocks an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Whatever for?" She asks before it quietly dawms in her. She can't help but throw her arms around him and practically scream. "Oui, oui, oui you don't even need to ask me Mon Cher" she says, drawing many appreciative claps and a whistle from Moe Green. Everyone in Diamond City knew Curie at this point. She was, as Frank had said, the talk of the Town. No she was going to be a Mrs.
Frank smiled as he remembered the events of the day and sat up in bed, his back pressed against their headboard. He looked around their new home and had to admit it was a little sparse. But with all the caps he had made along the way and his efforts in the way of managing the new Tap house they would change that completely. Curie was even bringing in an income, having applied for work at the school house.
All his problems were gone and while he still ached from the tragedy of what happened, he knew that not all was lost. This new world had its own beauty. Its own hope and with Curie, anything was now possible. He would always miss and love Nora. He knew that and Curie knew that as well. Love though, has the characteristic of being unique. Curie would never compete with Nora's memory. And he was happy that she knew that as well.
"Is something wrong dear?" His wife asks as she rolls over and cuddles into his side once more, her eyes barely opening. "I would have thought you would be tired after eight times" she says with a smirk, having grown out of her nervousness and shyness into being a very flirtatious woman. He can't help it, he laughs and runs his fingers through her hair.
"Nothing is wrong Curie. Just feeling thankful. And hopeful. We have a long road ahead together and I have a feeling it will be a little easier than travelling all over the wasteland" he says with a smile.
It is silent for a moment and he thinks Curie has fallen back asleep but she speaks, sitting up and letting the blanket slip own her chest, exposing one of her breasts. Her hand goes to his cheek and rubs it as she smiles, although there is a hint of nervousness there. "Frank...you know, I cannot give you children oui? I wish I could but I cannot" she says nervously before he smiles and takes her hand in his. "I know Curie. And that's okay. When we are ready for that step we will find another way" he says to calm her, but still feeling there is another aspect of her statement and question he is missing. "Well, I have something to say about zat. You see, ze school also functions as ze orphanage. And zere is a leetle girl there. Her name iz Samantha. She is so lonely and ze othzers bully her for being shy. I was thinking.." she said, her accent becoming more pronounced the more nervous she got.
Frank just smiles and rolls his eyes. "Well then, tomorrow we will just have to go and get our daughter then won't we? I'll talk to the mayor and the teacher. Get it legitimized. I've seen her around too and even played tag with her a few times when I came to the city in the past. I was going to ask you tomorrow. But you beat me to it" he says with a laugh which prompts his wife to throw herself into his arms once more. "Zank you my love zank you. We will be a family" she says excitedly.
Family. Frank liked that. It may not be what he was thinking when he came out of that vault, but family was what he got.
The need to belong. He need to be loved. That, that is something that never changes.