Hi everyone! My first fic, Bulletproof Heart, seemed to gain quite a bit of attention, and I had some more ideas up my sleeve, so I've decided to write a sequel. Reviews are welcome but not essential - I've mostly writing for myself as it relieves my anxiety. This fic will have four narrators, each chapter will have the chosen narrator labelled in bold before it starts. It is also set 20 years after the events of the first fic - Veronica MacCready have had a child of their own, named Katy. Happy reading!

KATY

It was quiet, except for the lapping of the salty waves and the incessant squawking from radioactive seagulls as they spiralled the sky above me. What had been a bright afternoon was slowly seeping into a yellowish twilight, a chill breeze whipping my golden hair across my face. I knew that I didn't have long before they returned home and I really didn't want to be here when they got back, but the view was just too good to pull myself away from. From this perch above the house, where dad would sometimes sit on evenings, I could see all the way to the shore in the distance. I longed to be on that coast, far away from here, no longer imprisoned on this tiny island. Doomed to look after my big/little brother for all eternity.

I didn't hate Shaun. In fact, when we were younger, I loved him like he was a real brother. We used to play games like tag, or go swimming in the shallows. As time wore on, however, I grew out of him – literally. I became a teenager whilst he still rotted away at ten, and things became strained between us. I noticed how my parents would fawn over him all the time, every conversation was about his safety. They were worried that someone would come here and kill him for what he is; I understood, but still… I started to feel like a spare part. On top of that, I realised just how small this island really was as I got older. There were a few shipping containers in one corner that had been fun to explore for a while, but now they were empty and boring. A small hut stood in the middle on top of a hill, though it contained nothing besides pre-war technology that had since decayed. Then then was our house and the farm.

The rest of this place was just… blank.

In the corner of my eye, I caught movement from the Castle and my heart skipped a beat – they were boarding now. I scrambled to gather my empty Nuka-Cola bottle and hastily climbed down from the defence post, slipping on the last couple of steps so that I skidded down to the ground with a harsh thud. My exposed thigh flared with pain and I cursed myself for wearing denim cut-offs before hauling myself up and limping angrily back to my room.

Shaun was in there, already sleeping. I didn't understand why a synth needed to sleep, though I guessed that it made them appear more realistic. I rolled my eyes at his soft, fake snores and winced as I crawled onto my own bunk, noticing the darkening skin of my injured leg. That was going to bruise up nicely.

After a while, I heard the familiar creak of the front door, followed by whispers and giggles. My parents were so in love, it was sickening. They were always kissing and holding hands. I pretended to gag and pulled the thin sheet above my head. Footsteps softly padded towards my door and I scrunched up my eyes defiantly, ready for the inevitable.

"Katy?" It was mom. I stayed as still as possible, trying to focus on making my breathing appear steady even though my heart was racing beneath my chest. I couldn't handle having a conversation with her right now, as much as I loved her. Still, she mustn't have believed my feigned sleep, as she made her way over to my bed and sat on the edge regardless. "Katy… I know you're awake. We saw you on the roof."

I sighed dramatically and pushed the sheet from my face; all of the anger I'd built up while she was gone suddenly dissolved when I saw my mothers calming features. Above all else, she was a beautiful woman. I smiled a little as she stroked the hair from my eyes. "Hey, mom."

"Is everything alright?" She asked, concern etched on her face.

"I… yeah." I shook my head. "No… I just get lonely here. I'm bored of this island. I want to see more."

"I know, baby." She nodded and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry that we're away so often. Preston's really got his hands full with protecting thirty separate settlements, and the Brotherhood have been breathing down our necks about the synth issue again."

I sat up in my bed. "Huh? I thought that they would leave us alone? Isn't it the Railroad that are helping synths?"

"Yes and no…" Mom sighed. "We're the Minutemen, Katy. We help anyone who needs it, regardless of their biology. In fact, you know what? Why don't you and Shaun come with us to the Castle tomorrow so we can show you around?"

"Really?" I couldn't help the excitement that poured out of me. I was going to get off of this island!

"Yeah, your dad can give you the grand tour whilst I deal with boring political stuff," She chuckled before standing up. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"I know mom… I love you too."

#####

The next morning, I threw myself out of bed and grabbed the nearest set of clothes I could reach – the shorts I wore yesterday and a burnt orange shirt. This top was baggy on me and I liked the comfort, though it was very nearly longer than my cut-offs. As I ran to my mirror to see if it looked dumb, my thigh ached and I was reminded of my fall yesterday. The skin was purple and swollen. I brushed my hair quickly, pulling the waist-length tresses into a side pony and securing it with an elastic band. Shaun began to stir behind me, so I poked him in the side and pulled the sheet from his body.

"Katy!" He moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Get up!" I grinned at him. "Mom and dad are taking us to the Castle today."

"For real?" He matched my smile and bounced up from his bed.

"Seriously," I laughed. "So, hurry up and get changed. And don't embarrass me."

#####

The Castle was not as impressive as I would've hoped. In fact, it wasn't even a castle! It was more like one big courtyard with some small rooms located within the walls. In the centre stood a huge radio tower surrounded by several generators, and a moustached man wearing a Minuteman hat sat next to it. All around, people bustled about their business. The 'tour' took all of ten minutes. Dad stood proudly by the entrance, surveying the area with one hand on his hip whilst the other leaned against the brickwork.

"It used to look way worse than this," He reassured me as he noticed my expression. "Trust me. The first time I came here, this wasn't even a wall, it was just a pile of rubble. They've done a really good job fixing her up."

"MacCready!" A voice rang out from the other end of the courtyard and I looked up in confusion. A small woman was beckoning towards us, so I frowned up at dad. He waved at her and scrunched his nose up at me.

"Do you think you can stay here for a bit?" His face was sympathetic but his voice was urgent.

I nodded solemnly as he took off. This was not the experience I had been hoping for, though I was curious as to why my dad was referred to by our family name. Mom always called him Robert. I let the thought filter out of my mind as I kicked the dirt beneath my feet, suddenly wishing that I was back on the island. This place wasn't all that. And everyone ignored me. Shaun had been greeted with hushed whispers before being dragged inside the Castle. Preston had berated my mom for bringing him here, so she'd gestured to me and told him that they didn't have a sitter. Preston barely looked at me before ushering my mom away. No one spared me a glance.

Which meant it was very easy to walk outside of the Castle walls. I took a quick look around to make sure no one was paying attention, before jogging out towards a beat-up building just outside of the grounds. I looked back at the entrance, breathlessly, but no one seemed to have noticed me leave. The world was quiet again, just like on my island, only this time there was so much more to explore. Just ahead of me there was a cluster of tall structures, mostly sad in appearance and definitely in need of a fresh coat of paint. I knew that walking that way would lead into the city, the heart of the Commonwealth, where all sorts of dangers lurked. I had to stay close to the Castle, where I would be safe. With that in mind, I decided just to check out the building I'd ran to. It looked like it used to be a shop of some kind – there were magazines and comics just like dad brought me home sometimes, and an old cash register. I popped it open but there was nothing inside. A few empty shelves cluttered the blue and white tiled floor. There was nothing much of interest so I walked around the other side of the building to get a better look at the city.

As I stepped forward I heard a clicking noise nearby; I froze and turned to see an older man in khaki green clothing leaning against the outside wall, pointing a small pistol at my head. His head was balding, the few dark strands he had plastering the sides of his large skull. His skin was littered with craters and spots, a nasty looking scar zig-zagging down his right arm. The chest of his armour heralded a skull. I instinctively put my hands up, but he just laughed and lowered his gun.

"Sorry, kid," He sniffed, wiping the back of his hand against his nose. I relaxed a little bit. "You lost?"

"No…" I gave the castle a side-glance and he noticed.

"You're with the Minutemen?" He frowned. "That's just lucky, I'm here to do some trading. What's your name?"

Mom had mentioned that traders came here often which is what helped keep the Minutemen stocked with ammo and materials for making armour. This guy certainly dressed like a soldier and he seemed to know where he was. Still, I didn't know him, so I couldn't give too much away. I thought about how that lady had addressed my dad earlier and an idea struck me. "MacCready."

The man seemed startled at first, but he regained his composure relatively quickly. I suddenly had a sinking feeling that I shouldn't have said that. He rounded on me, offering a cigarette. I shook my head rapidly and began to play with my hair, unsure of how to get out of this situation. Mom did that when she was nervous, twiddled with things. Usually it was her holster strap, though. I thought about shouting for help, but he had a gun. He could shoot me a lot faster than anyone could run here. He took the cigarette he'd offered me and lit it with a match before inhaling deeply. My dad smoked so I wasn't unfamiliar with the smell.

"MacCready," The man exhaled his smoke, coughing. "I knew a guy who went by that name. Brown hair, goatee… wore a hat?"

"I don't know anyone by that description." I answered truthfully. My dad didn't have a hat and he had a full beard on his face.

"Sure, sure…" He sniffed again. "Still, though. This was twenty years ago. How old are you?"

Okay, now I was definitely uncomfortable. I shifted on my feet and shook my head. "I really should get back."

"Sorry to offend you, I know it's not right to ask a lady her age." He shrugged. "I just feel like you've got a really familiar face, you know? And then you went and said that name… he's an old friend of mine, and I've been tracking him down for years."

I didn't say anything, just stood there dumbly. What was I supposed to say to that? All the time I'd been alive, I'd never known my dad to have any friends other than Piper, Ivy and Preston. Though, this guy had already mentioned that it had been 20 years since he last saw him. Maybe he was telling the truth?

He took another long hit of his cigarette before nodding at me. "He's your father, isn't he? I saw you in that building. You've got his smirk, his cocky attitude. I just wanna meet with him. Can't you ask him to come out here later tonight?"

"I need proof that you know him," I scowled, crossing my arms. "A name and an outdated description aren't tangible enough. Who even are you?"

"Smart girl. I told you, I'm an old friend. Colleague, really. Here, listen to this, it'll tell you everything you need to know."

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a holotape. I took his gingerly, running my fingers over the label. It read 'Initiate #56'. The man stubbed his cigarette out against the brick wall before throwing it into the yellow grass.

"Just listen to the tape." He began to walk away from me, towards the city.

#####

The rest of the day flew by scarily fast. After my encounter with the strange man, I had scampered back to the Castle to find that nobody had noticed my disappearance – both reassuring and depressing at the same time. I'd then spent my afternoon throwing rocks into the sea on the small beach within Castle grounds until dad had found me and berated me for not staying put. Normally, I would have whined at him for treating me like a child, but I was just glad this was where he had found me. After that, we'd eaten a hearty meal of gourds and Yao Guai meat before setting sail back to our solitary confinement. Once back on the island, I had asked if I could go to the shipping containers for a while, but mom said I had to milk the Brahmin first seeing as though nothing had been done on the farm all day. Shaun helped me fetch the pails and as he sat besides me, stroking the two-headed animal, a thought came to my head.

"Hey, you knew were there when mom and dad blew up the Institute, right?" I asked as casually as I could.

Shaun frowned. "I was, kinda… I mean, I didn't see them do it, they made me leave with the injured Minutemen."

"But that's the first time you met dad, right?"

"Yeah," He shrugged. "I just called him MacCready back then. It was… it's weird to talk about. My memories aren't real, remember? I don't like talking about the Institute."

I winced at his words, thinking about his synth past. Of course, he didn't know anything before that day, his mind had been completely erased and replaced with a new life. I couldn't imagine that happening to me. We sat in silence for a few minutes, continuing our work, before Shaun sighed and looked at me. "Why did you ask?"

"It's nothing," I shook my head, removing the filled pail from beneath the Brahmin. "I just wondered about what dad did before, you know. Why did you call him MacCready?"

"Everybody did," Shaun stood up and wiped his hands. "Even mom did, actually. It's kinda strange. He also seemed different, like, I remember seeing him at the Institute, holding a gun. Preston didn't like him back then, and I think it had something to do with the gun, because after dad put it away and said he wouldn't use it again, Preston became his friend."

"Dad with a gun?" My heart began to stammer. "I don't believe that."

"It's the one on the wall in the house. Just ask him yourself if you're so interested." Shaun shrugged and left the barn.

#####

After finishing my chores, I asked mom if I could borrow her Pip-Boy to play games on and headed out towards the shipping containers at the other side of the island. I entered a sickly green container and sat crossed-legged on the dusty ground, placing the Pip-Boy in front of me carefully. Did I really want to listen to this holotape? All I knew of dad's past was that he'd had a family before us. He'd told us that when he was very young, he'd married a girl called Lucy and had a son, but they had both died a long time ago. Mom had healed his heart again and me and Shaun were the lights of his life – we'd all heard the tale. But what else was there? Surely, he also had a job before the Minutemen? I knew that they were only reformed because of him and mom.

With a shaking hand, I warily inserted the tape into the Pip-Boy and pressed play. Loud static burst into my ears so I turned it down quickly, the white noise faded into a gravelled voice that I didn't recognise.

"…take the fucking caps, okay?"

"You don't have to tell me." My dads voice crackled around the container and I held my breath in anticipation. "Man, I need a smoke."

"You can smoke when you've finished the job, MacCready."

"Yeah, yeah. This is the target?"

In the background, I could just about here the murmured cries of a woman. It sounded like she had something over her mouth.

"Sure is. She was caught in Gunner territory."

"That's it?"

"That not enough for you? If you wanna be a Gunner, just shoot her in the fucking head and walk away. That is, if you're serious about this."

"I'm serious. I want my 750 caps up front."

"No deal."

"Ah, come on, man! How about 350 now and 400 later?"

There was a sighing noise and the sound of caps jingling. After a few shuffles, I heard the familiar sounds of my dad's chuckle. I could just imagine the smirk on his face.

"Fantastic…"

"Get it over with, MacCready."

"With pleasure."

Without any warning, a gunshot rang out on the tape. I gasped in horror, recoiling from the Pip-Boy as though the bullet might burst through and hit me.

"Welcome to the crew."

The holotape cut out. I stared at the floor, trying to control my breathing. I could feel a panic attack coming on. My dad had killed a woman on that tape. He'd shot her for money. All to join the Gunners? I'd heard Preston talk about them before but I didn't know much besides the fact that they sometimes attacked settlements. Was that man I'd met earlier a Gunner? My stomach lurched at the thought of my dad committing such horrible crimes. What was I supposed to do with this information? Should I tell my parents that I knew? Did mom even know?

It was a long time before I returned home, the moon already high in the sky as I walked into the shack. Mom and dad were huddled together on the couch; they both looked up at me as I entered, concern on their faces. I tried to stay huddled near the cabinet, the feeling of having something nearby to lean on helping the anxiety from completely taking over my body.

"You were out for a long time tonight, Katy." Mom pointed out. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," I managed, my head still swimming.

Dad stood up and began to make his way over to me, reaching a hand out to put on my shoulder. I backed out of his way, causing him to raise his eyebrows. "Whoa, what's up?"

"Nothing," I stammered. I had an image in my head of him holding the sniper rifle that hung on the wall opposite me. Decorative, apparently. Now, I pictured him pointing the barrel at my face, smiling as he pulled the trigger. I couldn't shake it. "I'm just tired."

"I hope you're not lying," He crossed his arms.

"I am, really…" I looked at the floor. "Hey, um… can I ask you guys a weird question?"

Mom stood up too, exchanging a worried glance with dad. "Anything, sweetie."

I took a deep breath. "How did you guys meet? And not the usual story you tell, I know that you teamed up to defeat the Institute, but… how did that happen? You've never really said."

"Oh…" Mom frowned and looked at dad, who suddenly seemed pained. I knew it. Mom knew everything about his past, she had to. That look was everything I needed. "Oh, honey, it was such a long time ago, I don't remember everything."

"Are you sure?" I challenged. "Are you sure you didn't make a deal with him to help you kill a bunch of people?"

"Katy!" Dad raised his voice. He rarely raised his voice – that, and the idea I had of him in my head, made me jump.

"What makes you say that?" Mom was angry too, I could see it in her deep blue eyes.

"Dad got paid to kill people, didn't he?" Their anger only fuelled my courage. I threw the holotape at dad's feet. "You were a Gunner, weren't you? Mom needed the Institute dead, so she hired you to kill them all. You're both sick."

Dad was silent, staring down at the tape. Mom rounded on me, pointing her finger in my face. "Katy, you know nothing of the real world. You don't know what it's like out there."

"Because you never let me leave this island!" I shouted back. "How could you fall for a murderer? Or is that the sort of thing that turns you on?"

"Katy!" Mom was so mad, I thought she might slap me. "I can't believe you. Do you really think of your father that way?"

"What am I supposed to think?"

All the while, dad stared down at the tape. His shoulders were heaving but I couldn't see his face. He bent down to pick the tape up, and I saw moisture in his eyes. He looked up and locked eyes with me, a tear falling down his cheek. I'd never seen him cry before. "I'm sorry."

His reaction only made me more furious. I let out a frustrated growl and ran out of the door. I could hear mom shouting after me but I didn't want to listen. I pelted across the island as fast as my legs could take me, almost falling as I hit the sand dunes. I didn't stop running until I reached the shoreline where our boat was docked. I didn't think twice as I pulled the ropes from the docking post and pushed the boat out into the sea, jumping in as it bobbed on the waves. It was pitch black but the Castle was fully lit – I just had to keep rowing until I got over there. Mom was screeching my name now, pleading with me.

I pretended that I couldn't hear anything but the quiet still of the night as I rowed across the black water. As my arms pushed the oars, I thought about the woman on the tape. I could almost see her in front of me, frightened and alone. She had her hands tied behind her back and a rag in her mouth to stop her from talking. She could have a family, maybe some kids. She just wanted to go home. Dad didn't care about the fear in her eyes, he only wanted caps. He lifted his gun and-

The jolt from the boat hitting the dock shocked me out of my daydream and I hugged myself to shield against the chilly night air. What was I doing? I hadn't even given this a second thought, but now here I was, on the only boat my parents had, cutting them off from the rest of the world. I felt a pang of guilt which quickly resolved into a burst of fury; they had cut me off from the world my whole life, this was what they deserved. A taste of their own medicine. Was I acting childish? Probably. I couldn't make sense of my thoughts as they tumbled around my head. All I knew was that I had to get away from here, somewhere I could be alone. I couldn't go back to that place. I just couldn't.

My legs felt like jelly as I stepped out onto solid ground and I had to stop myself from falling as I paced up towards where the Castle stood. A couple of guards on the top wall spotted me and shouted down to the courtyard - I groaned and began to sprint out towards the start of the city, where their searchlights couldn't find me. Maybe I could go to Diamond City? That's where Piper and Ivy lived, and they seemed like the cool type of people who would let me crash for a bit. It was my only plausible option. Plus, if Nat was around, I could distract myself by helping out with the paper.

My only issue now was finding Diamond City. I'd been told that once you got close, there were tonnes of sign posts dotted around, but I knew that we were quite far away and I had no sense of where things were in the Commonwealth. I curse my parents for never letting me out, never giving me a real life. It was so eerie and quiet and nothing to be seen. Was it possible that they had overexaggerated the dangers of the world to keep me from exploring it? As I pondered my next move, meandering through the tower blocks, I felt a hand grab my own. I recoiled with a gasp, turning to see the man from this morning glowering down at me. The Gunner. Before I could react, he yanked me harshly so that I let out a pained yelp.

"I told you to bring MacCready!" He growled as I tried to pull away from him.

"Get off of me!" I cried, horror seeping into me as I realised there were more uniformed men appearing from the darkness. Suddenly, the tall buildings that surrounded me felt like they were closing in. What had I been thinking, coming out here alone?

"Wait, we can use this," One of them piped up, a severe grin spreading across his face. He lifted a pen knife. "Leave a bit of her behind, torture him that way."

"Good idea, Runt."

I began to scream and a hand was clamped over my mouth. Could the Minutemen hear this? Would they come to rescue me? I was too far away. Runt approached, a skinny, dirty-blonde man with dark eyes. They stared at me sickeningly as he tugged at my pony tail, ragging it close to him so that my neck clicked painfully. He then proceeded to saw his knife through my hair until it was a depressing chunk of red in his palm.

"We send this to MacCready, he knows we got his girl." He nodded at the island, then winked at me. "Thanks, kid. We were just gonna kill him, but you'll do nicely."

A woven bag was thrown over me. Just as I was about to try shouting for help, a heavy thud collided with the back of my head and I slipped into unconsciousness.