"Hey there, Blue. What's that music?"
Piper sauntered onto the roof of the metal shack which had since become her home, speaking as she topped the last step, cocking her head to listen to the unfamiliar music floating in the air. By modern standards, the structure was practically luxurious, hours put in to ensure no wind came through the metal walls, no whistling at night during the rad storms, little wooden walls in between the bedroom, the dining room, even the fully powered kitchen. But she still saw the sadness in Will's eyes when he walked in, the furtive glances down the street to the skeleton of a house which stood lone testament to the life he had before all this. Before the bombs. Before the war.
"Hmm? Oh, just a holodisk I found in a cabinet during that last outing. One of my favorites."
The melody drifted on the air between them, a raspy voice floating on top of swaying strings, a soft beat keeping it grounded, in-time. Beneath, in-between the words and the music a sense of melancholy happiness could be felt, the color blue in bright sunshine. Even as she approached, Piper could see the arched shoulders through the thick green fabric of Will's now-customary Fatigues, the glassy blue eyes as he looked out into the sunset which was blossoming over the commonwealth, red and oranges casting themselves over the wasteland. As she sat down, she spoke softly, crossing one leg and throwing her arm across the bench behind his shoulders.
"Yeah? What's it called? I don't think I've ever heard Travis play it and, trust me, I've heard all his songs."
Will didn't look at her as he spoke, a small bittersweet smile playing at the corners of his mouth before he spoke.
"It's old." Piper arched her eyebrows, a comment knocking at her lips. Will laughed shortly. "Even by my standards. The name's 'What a Wonderful World', by a guy named Louis Armstrong, about a hundred… I mean, three hundred years ago."
The sun sank steadily lower in the sky, the small bank of clouds hovering over the horizon glowing in the cast sunlight, the mist around Sanctuary Hills taking on an ethereal quality as the world changed into its nightwear, danger and intrigue creeping from the shadows. Piper sat there, watching as the stars began to shine through the last remnants of sunlight, peeking through the amber clouds, the last chords of the song playing before ending in soft static, the speakers cutting as they reached the end of the album. Silence ruled as they listened to the soft hum of the generators in the center of the settlement, Sturges hammer interrupting with staccato blows to some unprepared piece of equipment. Will spoke first.
"We used to listen to it… back, before the war. Hell, even before that. Back in the army, we'd be overseas, and there'd be nothing but war, all around. It got… well, it was almost too much, sometimes. But whenever it was, I'd steal some quiet space, somewhere nobody could find me, and listen to this."
Seconds passed by before Piper spoke, thinking over what she was going to say, scooting closer and resting her head on Will's, her voice quiet, private, as they watched the stars crawl out from their lighted cover.
"You know, when I first saw you, I wasn't certain what to make of you. You were so… different, like you couldn't even get used to the space you were standing up. You're blue jumpsuit gave it away, but, I had no idea how different you were. I mean, frozen for two hundred years, only to wake up to this wasteland? And then doing everything you've done? Throwing safety to the wind and going after your son? And here I thought my life had been exciting."
William laughed slightly at the lightly shrouded compliment as the stars winked at him from above, his head turned upwards as he enjoyed the weight of her head on his shoulder
"But, the thing is: you're amazing. Seriously. And not in the 'He can nail a raider at a few hundred yards' amazing, because that's just impressive. What I mean is, you're amazing because you can just keep going. After all the shit life has thrown at you, even just in the past two, three months, you just keep on going. I've lived in Diamond City for most of my life. I've watched people lose their businesses, their houses, even family members, and they've either just ignored it or broken down. And it doesn't matter what they say, ignoring it is not staying strong, it's staying scared, of the world outside our convenient little walls and guards. But you didn't. You got thrown into a world which had only existed in your nightmares, and you kept going. You've done more than kept going, Blue. So, yeah, it's a bit much. But, I hate to break it to ya, you're a bit much too."
Will's head turned down from the stars, a thin smile pestering his lips as he laughed tenuously at Piper's pep talk, what little mirth had been in his eyes quickly giving way to sadness, the light from the fire a few hundred yards away reflected with deeper blues and tones of grief. His voice was quiet, almost hoarse.
"I just miss it, sometimes. So badly. I want to wake up in my bed, in my house, and hear Codsworth cooking breakfast and Shaun in his crib. Walk outside and see my neighbors heading to work and hear the kids playing in the street. I know it will never come back, but it's hard, sometimes, to believe that this is real. And dammit, that doesn't change how much I miss the world before the bombs. My world."
Concern passed over Piper's face as she turned her head to watch the tears slowly roll down William's face, his eyes shut in a helpless effort to hold them back. It was rare to see him like this, admitting how much he missed the world before. The pre-war world had been a touchy topic, one they typically avoided for obvious reasons: Two months was not nearly enough time to deal with the end of the world. Some of the ghouls down in Goodneighbor had taken two hundred years and still hadn't dealt with it. She sat up, taking Will's head into her shoulder as she felt a few soft sobs run through his torso, stroking his short, brown hair while she made soft sounds into the top of his head.
"The way you paint it, Blue, it sounds like a paradise." Piper paused, watching a light on the horizon run for a few seconds before disappearing, her mind wondering what story sat behind it. "Take me there."
A small sniffle came from will before he sat up, a confused and slightly hurt look on his face while he responded, his voice still interrupted by the occasional sob and sniffle.
"What? Pipes, you know as damned well as I do it's not coming back."
Piper laughed before she stood up, taking Will by the hand and walking downstairs, strolling gently up what had been his street towards the little couldesac of shattered houses. She held his hand as they walked, leaning in and talking softly to him, intimately.
"No, silly. I've always said stories can take you anywhere you want to go. And you've got one of a place I want to see. So, take me there. Tell me about it."
A smile stuck to Will's face as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips before he spoke, a measure of joy coming through his voice that was welcome music to her ears.
"Where do you want me to start?"
"Anywhere you want. I want to hear all of it. Paint me your story, your world."
"Oh, all of it? That's it?"
Piper giggled, beaming up at Will as she spoke.
"Yep, your entire world. That's all."
"Well, let's start here. Sanctuary Hills. I think I told you that was my house…"
The two strolled up and down the couldesac, William weaving stories and portraits of a world two hundred years dead but only two months gone. They watched as long salvaged Corvegas lazed down the streets, children long dead threw balls with their farther-gone fathers in green lawns carefully tended by since rusted Mr. Handy's. Piper hung on his every word, her mental notepad keeping it all in as clear a detail as she learned of Mr. Mordine, the pharmacist next door and his delightful wife and their tasteful parties; Old Mrs. Thrummin across the street and her three grandchildren, soon to be four if the rumors were to be believed; his friend Max from their days in the army. She watched as ghosts walked from shell to shell, glowing with the youth of memory, beaming at each other with happiness which can only come from the yearning of the beholder to see them just once more. She stood next to him as they stared out on the river and he told her of places like "Canada" and "China", heard of the front lines of a war which had only ever been mentioned as an after thought to The War. When the night got chilly, they retreated inside, a small fire keeping them warm as they huddled under one of Mama Murphy's blankets. Neither Will's storytelling nor Piper's attention interrupted.
Piper could watch as Will's eyes got glassier, as he looked beyond the radiation and squalor which had since become his home to escape to a world he missed so desperately he wouldn't dare admit it to himself. There were times when he would choke up, tears threatening at his eyelids, when reality would threaten his small escape, but she'd ask one more question and let him relive his world again. Late into the night they talked, of every single thing, from baseball to clothes, even his wife (of whom he rarely spoke, despite the fact that Piper didn't mind, but she knew it wasn't for her he rarely talked of her). Eventually, they found themselves crawling into bed, beneath the rough sheets he had somehow found during one of his ridiculous travels. As they lay there, Will holding Piper gently against him, the both of them drifting off to sleep, he spoke, softly.
"I wish you could have seen it all, Pipes. You would have loved it. All of it."
"Maybe, Blue. But this world? This is the one I know, this one is mine. Plus, it brought you me, so how could I ever want to leave it."
She felt his small laugh echo through her chest as he talk, softly, his warm breath tickling her hair as he drifted to sleep, her soon to follow.