Leading By Example

by CatBut

The bonds of brotherhood are forged in steel, brothers and sisters in all but blood but to Alexis Allore family is the only tie that binds and she will do anything to find her son. Follow Knight Alexis Allore as she travels the unforgiving commonwealth for her son, escapes her past, makes new friends and finds new love Written in alternating first person point of view

1. Chapter 1

Hello All,

i deleted my other fallout 4 fanfic called All is Fair in Love and War and decided to re-vamp it a little, its now in first person point of view and follows the life of Alexis Allore, its still heavily influenced by the BOS quest line so if you aren't familiar and don't want spoilers be warned. now i'm obviously adding some things and changing a few things to make it fit my story. I've never written in first person before so forgive me if i mess anything up. i will be adding in other characters as i go along and including other factions im just starting with the brotherhood of steel. please read and re-view and as always thanks for looking

Chapter One

"Knight Allore… wake up. you don't want to be late on your first assignment"

Something or rather someone is beside me practically shouting and it takes me a moment to realize they are talking to me. Allore was my maiden name and it always gets taking used to hearing it again; once Nate died I didn't think it was right to keep his name, or maybe I wasn't ready to dish out my personal life when the Paladin first asked my name. it's too complicated trying to explain to everyone what happened to me in the past, and in my own way burying it down makes it a little more bearable each day.

"Knight lets go"

Damnit now they are pushing me, I groan and roll over on my opposite side, facing the edge of the bed and my would-be assailant. It's my bunk mate, I think her name is Alicia or something I can't remember exactly; everything is a haze from last night. It's probably the alcohol numbing my mind, I did drink in excess last night. My eyes flick to her feet and then to the floor hoping she doesn't see the empty bottle of vodka half kicked under my bed.

"Alright, I'm getting up" I mumble and swing my legs over the edge of the bed, for a moment the world spins and I clutch my head. Okay easy does it Lex, let's not puke all over my bunkmate's feet. I open my eyes and find her still standing there, In the same spot staring down at me, her short cropped auburn hair is pulled into a tight pony tail that pulls at the skin around her eyes, makes her look older. She has emerald green eyes and small pouty lips, she is probably around my height, average for a woman and is what I'd consider underweight or maybe not that feminine if that makes sense.

"You don't want to keep Paladin Danse and Elder Maxson waiting" she says crossing her arms over her chest.

I roll my eyes and bite my lip to keep back the sarcastic comment, deciding that a nod of the head will suffice and she will disappear.

"Okay, I'm going. What time is it anyway?" I yawn and stretch, my hands brushing the underside of her bunk.

"It's 0500" she says frowning at me.

I snort and standup forcing her to take a step back and we lock eyes for a brief moment. I'm about as tall as her, but we look worlds apart. Where her skin is weathered and scarred from surviving in this shit-hole world, mine is delicate and porcelain, free from scars and radiation burns. Maybe that's why she's glaring at me, because Paladin Danse decided that he'd be my sponsor not hers. Some random wastelander that no one has heard of, that is over two hundred years old. I see the way that these people look at me, as soon as I stepped foot on this ship the whispering began, the open stares and the eye narrowing glares from the other female soldiers. As if I am going to steal away some soldier boy they have their eye on. Fuck them, I'm already tired of this new 'world' and I've only been awake for a few months.

"Okay you can go now" I snort and push my way past her towards the trunk along the opposite wall of our designated quarters that house my crap. I can hear her heavy breathing behind me and she shuffles back and forth on the balls of her feet. I roll my eyes and look over my shoulder at her, shooting her a beaming smile. I'm awarded with more eye narrowing glares, as if her eyes could burn holes right through me into my vital organs and I would drop dead right here. I'm sure that would be perfect for her, kill off the new bitch, throw her body off the Prydwen flight deck.

"Remember to wear your uniform new girl, that vault suit isn't mission approved" she hisses and turns tail, throwing open the door and stomping down the hall.

I get up and peek my head through the doorway, watching her lean body strut down the bowels of the Prydwen, her nose up in the air and I can't help myself "Orange really isn't my color but thanks for the advice" she turns and looks over her shoulder at me, her small lips pulled tight into a grimace and snorts, spinning on her heel, and stomping away. the soft thud of her boots breaking the silence as everyone around stops talking and watches the scene unfold. I exhale heavily and go back into my quarters leaning against the cool metal wall next to the door. Nice going Lex let's just get everyone on this metal bucket to hate your guts real smart. I close my eyes and beat my head softly against the wall behind me.

My sulking is interrupted by the sound of laughter and I peek my eye open and turn my head towards the door. Standing beside me is a young woman, she looks about twenty, she has bright blue eyes and a warm smile, her hair is the color of honey and hangs to the top of her shoulders, she's a little shorter than myself and a bit heavier but has a pretty face, that is smiling at me.

"Sorry about that, my mouth gets carried away sometimes" I say a closing my eyes and shrugging my shoulders.

"It's alright no one likes Knight Richmond anyway" she laughs again

I open one eye and look at her, she has made no move to leave and I suppose that being miserable to everyone isn't going to win me any favors. "I'm Alexis, or Lex for short." I say smiling at her, which seems to make her smile even larger.

"I'm June Adams, I'm also a Knight my bunk is right across the hall" she says gesturing to her quarters with a flick of her head.

"Nice to meet you" I say trying to force some sincerity into my voice, she seems nice and her smile is uplifting my sour mood. I turn and drop to the floor lifting the lid on my trunk and begin digging around for the ghastly orange jump suit I was given yesterday. I fling out some of my clothes onto my bed behind me, and smile when the offending suit comes into view. Its bright orange which seems a little idiotic considering the environment is mostly dull browns and charcoal black, as if the life has been sucked right out of the commonwealth. Which I suppose is an accurate description. I can tell June is still standing behind me and I turn and look over my shoulder at her. she's staring at the clothing flung haphazardly over my bunk. My eyes follow hers and I smirk, she's looking at one of my dresses, its denim and has a light brown belt under the bust. I found it in a suitcase in an old abandoned bus. It fits me pretty well, considering I had no idea what size it was or who owned it before the bombs fell.

"You can try it on..,if you want" I tease, my eyes flicking from the denim dress to June's face, which looks comprehensive. I stand and grab the garment holding it out to her, the color is to pale and would wash her out I shake my head and throw it back on the bed. she's watching me I know it because her head is tilted to the side and there's a small smile on her face as I dig through my clothes tossing them out of the trunk.

"Here, this would do wonders for your eyes" I say tossing her a clean green dress.

She catches it and rubs her fingers over the smooth cotton. "Umm, we aren't really supposed to wear stuff like this" she says holding the dress out to me.

I raise a brow in confusion "What do you mean, it's only a dress, lord why is everyone so uptight around here"

She shrugs and shakes her hand waving the dress at me and I shake my head smirking "Nah, keep it, Lord knows it'll look better on you than it does on me. besides when you get some down time you can always wear it"

"Thanks" she says and clutches the dress to her chest and I smile at her, she seems so young as she holds the dress to her chest, cradling it like a baby. a pang of grief hits me in the chest and my eyes fall to the floor. I used to hold my son like that, god I miss him, I miss Nate.

"Hey, are you, alright?" she asks and touches my shoulder giving it a little shake

I bite my lip hard and flick my eyes back up to her, nodding my head "Yea I'm good, sorry I guess I was daydreaming" I shrug and turn grabbing my clothes off the bed and stuff them back into my trunk. not looking up I ask her if she knows where I can shower and grab some food before I must meet the Paladin and report to the Elder.

…

I've decided that living on the Prydwen has its perks, despite having a bitch for a bunkmate. I can shower when I want to, and when I say shower I mean running water that is actually safe, not like bathing in the lake that is so radiated that your skin burns and blisters. Shampoo is like nonexistent now so bar soap is like a gift from god when you find it. Lucky for me there was still some in my old house when I first woke up. I strip off my vault suit and step into the shower turning the dials until heavenly water pours down on my face. the satisfaction is indescribable and I smile to myself, rubbing my fingers through my long dark hair. The water helps wake me up and I roll my shoulders and rest my forehead against the wall letting the water run down my back. The door opens and a blast of cool air hits my ankles and I groan. I forgot that the showers are open concept and shared by all female soldiers. A tap turns on behind me as someone else starts to shower. It's an odd feeling being in a room with other woman completely naked, it reminds me of when I used to play intermural sports as a teenager and we had to change in the locker rooms together. I guess the principal is the same, we share the bathroom because when you break it down we all have the same parts. I turn off the water and step back towards a small bench in the middle of the room that holds my clean suit and towel. The towel is ratting looking but it will suffice to dry my hair. I quickly dry off and pull on my new orange uniform. It fits surprisingly well, however its far from flattering. I smirk and pull the zipper down just to the top of my cleavage, and finish pulling on my issued leather boots. Satisfied with my clothing I go to the only mirror in the room and quickly comb my hair out pulling it back into a braid that hangs over one shoulder. My hair is long, way longer than what is considered 'appropriate' for a soldier and when I met Knight Captain Cade he suggested that I cut it off, to avoid injury. I smirk and roll my eyes at myself, yea right like id cut off all my hair and wear it up in a fucking spinster bun all my life to please these people.

I finish my hair and makeup which let me tell you is one of the hardest things about living in the wasteland. Makeup is almost nonexistent and finding a tube of mascara is like winning the lottery. I know it might sound petty to still wear makeup when the world literally exploded and people are dying to crazy fucking mutant things, but it's one thing that makes me feel normal. It's like the old days when I'd wake up, do my hair and makeup, and pick out what outfit to wear before getting Shaun ready and heading out to the grocery store.

The other women in the bathroom glare at me when I'm all finished, and I smile at them sarcastically. All right bitches If you are going to give me the death glare for looking good, forget about Lex teaching you how to do a smoky eye. I grab my old vault suit and stuff it into a small leather backpack I fling over my shoulder and leave the room.

…

The Prydwen reminds me of a giant slumbering dragon sometimes, there's a constant buzzing from deep within its hull that keeps it afloat; like a pair of giant lungs and its snoring. Or maybe it's more like a bee hive, with the worker bees all scurrying around getting work done, knights on patrol, scribes riffling through books and doing laboratory tests, initiates sucking up to their superiors, and squires eagerly learning about brotherhood of steel history. All these busy bees aiming to please their leader, the queen bee, or in this case the king bee Elder Maxson. And then there's me, I accepted Paladin Danse's offer to join the brotherhood of steel because I want to find my son, and this group of structured soldiers looks like my best bet.

I make my way down into the mess hall where Danse said he would meet me before we report to Elder Maxson. It's full, tables filled with tired soldiers getting off shift and bright starry-eyed initiates waiting for their first assignment. I feel the urge to hurl and roll my eyes at their enthusiasm. I slide onto a bar stool next to the distribution counter and click my nails on the countertop. I can feel eyes shifting over me and burning glares and exhale pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Hey, you're the Vault dweller right" someone says beside me and I frown.

"Yup that's me alright" I grumble and turn to glare at my new-found company. He's handsome enough, dark brown eyes and shaggy brown hair, his skin has a dark complexion and he is smiling. His teeth are slightly crooked, and I find myself focusing on his mouth. Fuck sakes Lex say something else. "You can call me Alexis or Knight Allore or whatever" I shrug and begin tapping my nails against the countertop.

He thrusts his hand out towards me and grins "Ben Taylor, or Knight Taylor if you want"

I look at him through the corner of my eye and smile accepting his hand "So Knight Taylor, have you seen Paladin Danse?" I ask letting go of his hand.

He looks over his shoulder and down the hall towards the sick bay as a lumbering figure clad in power armor heads toward us. He turns and looks at me again smiling "he's right there Lex"

I roll my eyes and hop off my stool "No shit" I laugh and turn to stand before the Paladin.

"Knight Allore, Knight Taylor follow me Elder Maxson Is waiting for us on the flight deck" Danse says his voice serious, his eyes flick towards me and I roll my eyes at him.

"Sheesh Danse, don't give me that look, I'll be good I promise" I say sarcastically holding up my arms, shaking my head when he sighs and turns stomping away in his power armor. each footfall echoing through the metal airship.

"Did I miss something" Knight Taylor asks looking at me quizzically and I shrug

"Okay so I might not be the best at following rules and I might have accidentally shot him when we were collecting the deep range transmitter thing for scribe Haylen." I say crossing my arms, smirking. Knight Taylor is staring at me and dumb look on his face before he breaks out into a deep laughter and I feel my cheeks heat up "Okay take it easy, maybe I wasn't the best shot back then. But hey he was wearing power armor it's not like I actually broke skin or anything"

"It's cool, just don't shoot me on this mission" he laughs and winks at me, before turning to follow Danse who was openly scowling at us to hurry up and follow him as he is waiting at the door leading to the flight deck.

"Oh, bite me" I laugh as I follow behind him.

….

The air is almost lighter up here than it is down on the ground, as If its cleaner and free from radiation. This high off the ground the breeze is kinda nice, not being coupled with dust and dirt flying up in your face. The view from the Prydwen flight deck is amazing, not exactly beautiful but amazing none the less. I can see the ruins of Boston Commons up here, and the old airport. From this height, the ocean actually looks pretty, the sunlight reflecting off the water the gentle waves lapping against the shore. I close my eyes and inhale taking in my surroundings and grounding myself before I have to walk down the flight deck and accept my first mission. The buzzing of the Prydwens engines and whistling of the wind as it flutters past my ears, the scuffling of a broom on metal as an initiate sweeps the deck, the soft thudding of leather boots on steel and then the loud stomping of feet clad in power armor and the grinding of metal joints and the loud exhale of a superior officer. Its Danse scowling at me again I open my eyes and find him staring down at me Yup I was right

"Can I help you" I ask cheekily, crossing my arms under my chest

He scowls further his warm brown eyes narrowing "You can start by taking this seriously Knight"

I exhale and shrug my shoulders rolling my neck "Oh please Danse, I'm taking it seriously I'm just admiring the view from the magnificent Prydwen" I say a little sarcastically patting the metal hand rail next to me. The response seems to satisfy him and he nods a ghost of a smile on his face, clearly my sarcasm went straight over his head; but in all honesty, I'm not surprised he has the same sense of humor as a sack of potatoes.

Knight Taylor snickers and I look around Danse's hulking figure to smile at him, at least someone gets it. Danse turns and leads us down the flight deck towards the old command center, and I raise a brow at Taylor who shrugs his shoulders. why would Elder Maxson want to meet us down here and not the command deck that he normally loams over.

Speaking of Elder Maxson there he is, standing all magnificent in his awesome leather coat which I totally want to steal. He's leaning against the railings of the Prydwen a frown on his face as he's staring at something. I bunch up my lips and shoot a glance at Paladin Danse who is also frowning, seriously what is with these guys don't they ever smile. Like c'mon lighten up a bit, life isn't that bad. Well I mean it totally sucks but smile a little, chicks might dig it. My eyes follow Maxson's stare and focus on a building that looks like a heap of crumbling bricks and a thought pops up in my head. Wait a second that's that old army fort or something, I remember Nate telling me it was a bomb stockpile or something.

I'm lost in thought for a moment as memories of my late husband coming rushing back and I don't notice that we've stopped and I'm staring off into space as I bump into Knight Taylors back. I blush in embarrassment and mumble and apology stepping back, ignoring the disapproving glare the paladin was shooting me. Elder Maxson is looking at me, his steel blue eyes flicking up and down my figure and I look away awkwardly.

"Decided to wear the uniform after all" he said his voice starling me as he addressed me first

I turn my head and look him in the eyes and nod saying the first thing that comes to mind "Couldn't exactly walk around naked now could I" as soon as the words left my mouth I tensed up and smacked myself "Shit, sorry I mean yes Sir, although orange really isn't my color…. uh sir" I say awkwardly trying to regain some composure.

He just looks at me blinking and for the briefest of moments I think he smiled before his face hardened and he turned to address the Paladin.

"Smooth" Taylor whispers in my ear leaning toward me and I snort "Again bite me" I whisper back to him as Maxson briefs the Paladin on our new mission.

"Is that an invitation" he whispers again his voice lowering seductively and I laugh out loud interrupting Maxson.

"Am I interrupting something Knight?" he growls his blue eyes narrowing and I shake my head shooting Danse and apologetic smile.

"No sir" I grind out through clenched teeth as I stomp my heel on Taylor's toes. His intake of breath behind me lets me know I did it hard enough and I smile in satisfaction.

Elder Maxson exhales and continues droning on about the super mutant camp that he wanted to destroy because it was too close to the Prydwen, blah, blah, blah boring. The conversation only got slightly interesting when he mentioned fat man shells and my eyes light up and I found myself smiling. He looked at me curiously "Are you familiar with Fat man shells Knight?"

"Yea I used them on the man that murdered my husband" I said a little venom entering my voice at the thought of that bastard Kellogg.

"Let's not ever piss her off" Taylor mumbled under his breath

Maxson rose a brow and smirked "Well you understand then why they are so valuable and must be collected from those abominations. They are vital to our campaign."

"Right go in blast some mutants, get the bombs, everybody is happy" I said smiling moving to lean over the edge of the Prydwens railing.

Danse smiled at my eagerness and I winked at him, my eyes flicked to Elder Maxson who was frowning again at my interruption "Sorry, sorry I know I keep flapping my lips, I'll shut up"

Maxson smiled just a little bit and turned to look down at Fort Strong "well I commend your enthusiasm Knight"

I winked at him, then froze, holy shit did I just wink at the fucking elder, what if he thinks I'm flirting with him, leaning up against the railing smiling like a moron, winking and Jesus I think the zipper is still down on my flight suit. these people are so damn serious all the time that I probably look like a harlot. I stood up straight and moved standing beside Paladin Danse who gave me a questioning look. Maxson clearly didn't realize that I tensed up or it went right over his head and I blew out a breath. Of course, he doesn't think I'm flirting with him, he probably wouldn't know what that was like if it came up and bit him on the ass.

"Knight Allore" someone was talking and I was zoning out "Knight Allore….Alexis"

I snapped my head around and blinked stupidly at Danse "Huh, yea what Danse"

He frowned "we've finished mission brief we are to report to the vertibird docking station for pickup, please go gather your power armor and necessary weapons"

I blew out a breath and shook my head, smirking "Nah, power armor is your thing big guy, I don't do the hole clunky giant robot man thing well. I prefer to sneak up on my enemies and get'em before they know what's happening"

"This mission will be dangerous knight, we are going up against super mutants, I would highly recommend power armor and a more…..reliable weapon choice" he said gesturing to the pistol and combat knife strapped to my thighs.

I narrowed my eyes at the big tin soldier "Pfft, please Danse I'm all set just like this, no power armor no laser rifle. The only thing I'm missing Is a damn suit that isn't fucking orange"

"Knight, show some respect to your superior officer" it was Elder Maxson who was still standing behind me, and his voice sounded gravely as he practically growled at me through clenched teeth.

I will be the first to admit that I have a temper and sometimes I say things that I shouldn't or speak without thinking and I whirled on him and poked a polished nail into his muscled chest my own icy blue eyes glaring daggers at him "But out Maxson, I didn't ask for your two cents, besides it's called joking try it sometime"

I felt a large heavy hand on my shoulder that gripped painfully tight pull me back and I shot daggers over my shoulder at Danse whose metal hand was still on my shoulder. He let go and opened his mouth to speak when Elder Maxson cut him off, silencing him with a glare of his own.

"You are dismissed Paladin, I will send you your Knight when I've finished speaking with her"

Great I opened my damned mouth and ruined my chances at finding my son, because I insulted the overlord. I felt my anger wain and exhaustion overwhelm me and my eyes turned from pools of ice to a lake of emotion, I didn't want to look at him and get talked down to like some child. I set my jaw and looked past him at the ruins of Fort Strong.

"Alexis, is it?" he said and I turned shocked that he used my first name and I nodded my head in response, unable to form a coherent sentence in my head. He continued staring at me a frown on his face his eyes slightly narrowed "when I appointed you the rank of Knight, it was a privilege most outsiders are not given, since you are not familiar with the brotherhood and its rankings I will not issue any form of punishment this time. But understand from this point on that insubordination will not be tolerated is that clear"

I exhaled heavily and did not meet his eye, I bit my lip and gritted my teeth to keep myself together "I understand" I already felt tired and I haven't even stepped foot off the airship. I turned and faced him, my face hardened and unreadable as I masked his own expression and he dismissed me with the brotherhood salute. I repeated the salute a fist to my heart, although it felt odd and the urge to salute like a soldier from my own time was strong.

…

I stood beside the Vertibird and waited for Knight Taylor to return in his suit of power armor, with Danse beside me. When I first walked up he tried giving me the third degree but I put a hand up told him to save his unapproving glares for some other bitch. I think he was surprised at my sour mood which I normally didn't take out on him. I actually liked Danse quite a bit, he was a bit of a racist brute but he had a big heart and under all that steel he was a big softy.

I decided that instead of standing in complete silence I would go over my equipment like a proper little soldier girl. I had strapped to my right thigh my 10mm pistol, I had spent some time tinkering around with it with the help of Preston and Sturges back in Sanctuary Hills, and it was now pretty deadly with improved sights and a hardened receiver. On my left thigh, I strapped a combat knife. I didn't use it that often preferring to pick off my targets from a long range but it came in handy on several occasions when ferals ghouls came rushing out of abandoned buildings, the blade sinking into their decaying skulls like butter. It was nothing special just a standard knife but I liked the added protection. I counted out several stimpacs and a couple of doses of rad-x in my leather backpack. Instead of power armor I opted for hardened leather which allowed me better range of motion and was considerably lighter. My main weapon of choice and my pride and joy was the combat rifle on my back. I prefer ballistic weapons over laser weapons any day. I find laser rifles to jumpy the shots scattered and inaccurate where a bullet to the brain puts you down the first time. Plus, the ozone odor from laser weapon discharge isn't that pleasant, I prefer gun powder and lead.

"Okay we ready to go" Knight Taylor said, his voice seriously muffled and distorted by the air filters in his power armor helmet.

I turn to Paladin Danse and nod my head and we all get into the vertibird. The knight-lancer tells us to hold on tight and I brace myself gripping on the metals bars over the open door of the bird as it begins to shake and the supports holding it to the Prydwen release and we are airborne. The engines roar to life and the rotors tilt vertically moving us forward. The wind is rushing past the open door and I inhale savoring the wind on my face.

"Knight Allore, use the minigun when we get into position" Paladin Danse says stepping up beside me.

For the first time, I notice that he's not wearing his helmet, and I roll my eyes at him. hypocrite, telling me it's not safe to not use my power armor but here you are exposing your damn head. I move to position myself beside the minigun mounted to the door-frame. I've used one once before when I killed my first deathclaw, now that was a fight. Think giant lizard demon on roids and you have an idea of what I fought. I run my hands over the smooth cold metal and grip the handles that spin it back and forth swaying the tip of the gun. Despite being mounted its actually quite heavy and it takes some strength to steer it back and forth. I lightly pull on the trigger and watch the barrel begin to spin and let go before any shots are fired. I don't want any stray bullets whizzing through the air and nailing friendly brotherhood birds in the air.

We are right on top of Fort Strong and I can't believe my eyes it's a giant mutant and its slinging giant pieces of broken building straight at us. Perfect that's just what I needed today a large helping of fucked up.

I line up the sights on the minigun and sneer at the massive monstrosity and pull the trigger raining down death from above. The barrels bursts to life and sprays out hundreds of bullets down pelting the mutant abominations like rain, I can see blood and gore burst from their disgusting green bodies and I feel myself smiling like a devil. Red beams of laser fire are shooting down from Knight Taylor and Paladin Danse as they pelt the mutants using the broken-down buildings as cover.

The behemoth turns its ugly head and roars at us, dragging its knuckles through the broken concrete gathering up a fist full of rubble. It runs straight towards us hovering over the battlefield and I roar back at it.

"Come to mama"