Author's Note:

Thank you, all, for reading! I'm in the process of a move (just bought my first house)! Between ripping down 500000 layers of wallpaper and tearing up the nastiest carpet ever (at least it has those gorgeous hardwood floors) I'm really looking forward to writing! Plus, work is love and stress. Swing shifts are my religion. Please enjoy and thank you again! J

Chapter 2

Alice exited the vertibird with a thunk on the catwalk, her hair whipping wildly around her. She still couldn't get over how crazy high the Prydwen was above the ground. She still felt a tinge of vertigo looking down at the ground, and her stomach lurched as a reaction.

Between the dizzying affect of her fear of heights, the anxiety building up for the last two weeks, and the looming nausea that has plagued her, she was a wreck. It didn't help that as soon as she reached the entrance of the Prydwen proper she was approached by a young squire and told to meet with the Elder she had been avoiding. Her face visibly paled. 'This is going to be great' she thought sarcastically.

Alice entered the command deck where Maxson was waiting. He was staring quietly out the window by the railing holding a half smoked stogie, seemingly deep in thought. The room smelled sweetly of tobacco and reminded her of her grandfather, before the bombs fell. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, not knowing how she should address him. The longer they went without speaking, the more anxious she became. Finally, she broke the silence.

"Good morning, Elder Maxson. You summoned me?" She asked, quietly. The spell seemed to be broken and he turned to face her without making eye contact. He ashed his cigar in a small black ashtray on a table next to him and let out a soft sigh.

"I think we need to have a chat about what's going on and clear the air between us," he stated, finally making eye contact with her, intense cobalt eyes locking with her turbulent sea eyes. He ran his free hand through his hair, taking another drag on his cigar. She could tell he was just as uncomfortable as she was.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable working with me, Alice. I value you as a soldier and a friend. If you want to forget what happened between us the night the Institute fell, just tell me," he went on. 'If only it were that easy' she thought, internally laughing to herself.

"No! I'm, well, not uncomfortable…" she stated awkwardly, and definitely not convincingly. "I've just been through a lot. You know? Between the bombs, being a widow, and the death of my son. I've just… Uh… Had a lot on my mind" she trailed off. For being a lawyer, she was a terrible liar. She could see him taking in what she said and reading between the lines. 'God, he's just like Nate,' she thought.

"I see," he stated simply. "I have to ask, then, why it seems you have gone completely out of your way to avoid me. You've skipped important mission briefings, opting for messages on you Pip-Boy. You've also said barely five words to me in weeks." His features softened and his eyes tinged with worry. "I miss talking to you, Alice."

She honestly did, too. She recalled the late nights they'd spend on the foredeck preceding the fall of the Institute talking about life before the war, politics, art, law, and everything in between. He was one of the most fascinating people she had ever met, both pre and post war. He was also one of the few people that she had opened up to since she woke up. She could tell he was legitimately worried he had screwed things up between them.

She didn't realize it, but she had been closing the distance between them. She wanted to comfort him and tell him everything that was wrong, but couldn't find the words. Alice stood next to him, his form dwarfing hers, and placed a hand on his.

"I really miss talking with you, too, Arthur" she said, quietly. "I'm not trying to avoid you. I just needed some space to sort out my feelings." She smiled up at him sweetly. He returned the smile and rubbed his calloused thumb across her soft hand.

"I don't want you to think you can't come to me if you have any problems-even if I'm that problem," he said softly. Arthur set the cigar down on the ashtray and held both of her hands. "You are very dear to me, Alice."

Her heart fluttered in her chest as he spoke these words and her face slightly flushed. "You are to me, too," she said. 'And more than you know' she added in her mind.

He brought her close, snaking his hands around the small of her back, kissing her forehead and resting his chin on the top of her head. His beard hairs scratched her scalp as they stood there. Her hands had found themselves under his jacket, taking in the warmth of his body. They stayed like that for a few minutes before breaking apart.

He looked down at her with a slight smile "I have a meeting with an envoy from the Capitol Wasteland in a few minutes. Would you care to join me for dinner in my quarters later this evening?"

"I think I can manage that," she smiled back. Hopefully, once she got back to her quarters, she could put to rest any possible pregnancy anxiety once and for all. The thought still made her queasy. 'If only he knew what was in my backpack' she thought. He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead again.

"Good… I look forward to seeing you, then," he said with a wink, and let her go. She walked back towards the entrance to the deck, to the ladder leading up to the belly of the ship. She gave him another smile and made her way up to the main deck.

Finally putting some distance between herself and Maxson, she started chewing her lip nervously, thinking about how the evening was going to go. 'Awww crap… I don't think I'm getting out of this very easily' she thought. She went back to her room and shut the door tightly behind her. She sat down on her bed and tore through her pack, retrieving the pregnancy test, still sealed in its prewar packaging.

Alice rubbed her face with both hands and inhaled deeply. It was now or never. She snuck the test into a pouch on her Sam Browne belt and slipped out of her room, heading towards the women's latrine. She was relieved to find she was the only one in the room and locked herself into a stall. She sat down and her hands shook slightly as she carefully unwrapped the test, inspecting it for any decay or damage. Feeling satisfied with the exterior of the test, she used it.

The next three minutes were agonizing. She didn't dare look at the test, fearing getting her hopes up to be let down by a false negative. She honestly didn't know what she was going to do if the text came back positive. She guessed she could run away with a caravan or change her name and live in Diamond City. It didn't sound like the Brotherhood was going to be in town a whole lot longer, so it could be easy enough to sneak out and quietly live her life. She couldn't imagine a young, ambitious, and attractive man like Maxson wanting to settle for her. Lightning wasn't going to strike twice for her, she feared, and she shut her eyes tightly and let out a sigh at the thought.

When she reopened her eyes, they were fixed on the innocent piece of plastic gripped in her right hand. What she saw made her stomach drop.

"Awww, shit", she muttered.