A/N: Hello! Thank you to everyone who followed/favorited this story :D it means so much to me! Also, thank you to Hailey for pointing out that my first chapter didn't have anything to separate time jumps. I had originally put my own line in there and I didn't realize that it didn't translate from the original when I posted it. (If you find any misspellings or grammar I may have missed please PM me so I can fix it thnx!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Fallout series the only thing I own is the OC I created for this fic.

Onward!

Chapter Two: Soldiering On

Addison never truly realized just how cold she was until the sun light caressed her skin. Shielding their eyes, the siblings stepped off of the metal platform. A gasp that sounded half way between awe and devastation fell from Addison's lips. The once lush green land, now lay dead and barren before them. Not a single hint of healthy earth could be seen from their vantage point. Turning abruptly away from the view atop the hill. Addison began the descent back through the now rusted chain link fence, her pace brisk.

The bodies of neighbors who were unlucky enough to either not have made it to the vault in time or just didn't sign up at all, lay on either side of the path. Their skeletons still covered with the tattered clothes they'd been wearing the day the bombs fell. Addison's eyes glinted with unshed tears for the fallen; trying her best to keep her mask in place for Nate, if for no one else. Nate hadn't said a single word since they opened vault 111. His head was hung low; eyes void of all emotion whilst trudging along behind her. He didn't seem to be able to see the horror right before him. Part of Addison was grateful for that, but the other part wished he'd snap out of it and experience this with her.

Addison broke into a sprint when the bridge, that spanned the small brook that divided Sanctuary from the vault area, came into view. Nate was shaken from the void his mind had jumped into, the abrupt movement starling him. He took off after his sister, nearly barreling her over when she skidded to a stop on the crumbling sidewalk. "What the hell, Addy?!" Nate exclaimed, throwing his hands above his head in exasperation. Addison ignored him, her eyes darting all around the once immaculate neighborhood.

A humming noise soon drifted over to them, causing the two to turn their heads towards Nate's old house. Nate's jaw nearly fell from his face when he saw Codsworth hovering over some very dead bushes, trimming them. A relieved grin spread across Addison's face and she jogged up to the Mr. Handy bot. "As I live and breathe! It's…it's really you!" A sense of relief rolled off Codsworth in waves.

"Codsworth!" Nate gasped in disbelief. "What happened…to the world?" Codsworth paused as though confused.

"The world sir? Well, besides our geraniums still being the envy of Sanctuary Hills, I'm afraid things have been dreadfully dull around here. Things will be so much more exciting with Addison, you and the missus back!" The Mr. Handy robot swiveled his eyes to look beyond the two standing before him. "Where is your better half by the by?" Nate hung his head, his teal eyes running rivers down his cheeks.

"She's in a better place, Codsworth." Addison spoke, her mask finally falling off completely. Anguish and despair etched into her pale skin. Codsworth looked back and forth between Nate and Addison still not comprehending.

"Mum…these things you're saying. These…terrible things, I believe you both need a distraction. Yes! A distraction, to calm this dire mood. It's been ages since we had a proper family activity, especially where Miss Addison was also present. Checkers. Or perhaps charades!" Codsworth chuckled as the brother and sister looked at each other, now concerned for the Mr. Handy's mental state. "Shaun does so love that game. Is the lad…with either of you?" It was then that Nate had to walk away from the conversation, which only served to confuse Codsworth even more. The metal balls that served as eyes focused on the younger female awaiting a response.

"Codsworth...Shaun's been…kidnapped." The words felt like a ton of bricks collapsing on top of her head. More tears fell as she sniffed and looked away towards the dilapidated house. A new feeling of determination roused from within. Addison's brow creased as she stared back at the robot. "But were gonna find him. We're going to find Shaun and get him back."

"It's worse than I thought. Mmhmm. You're both suffering from hungry induced paranoia. Not eating properly for 200 years will do that I'm afraid" Addison stood agape, eyes bulging from their sockets.

"200 years?!"

"A little over 210 I'm afraid. Give or take a little for the Earth's rotation and some minor dings to the ole' chronometer." Codsworth chuckled again. "That means you're both uh, two centuries late for dinner! You must be famished"

"I'm fine Codsworth." He shifted, seeming uncomfortable with her response.

"Are you sure, Miss Addison? I could whip you up something to ea-," Holding up her hand to stop him, Addison sighed heavily.

"I'm fine."

"Oh, well…alright then. What about sir?" Glancing off in the direction of her brother, she put her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"I don't think Nate's quite ready to eat yet either, Codsy… "


Addison felt bad for Codsworth. After searching the neighborhood and dispatching some disgusting over-grown flies, he had confided in the young woman how he'd been all alone for the last two centuries or so. She'd given him a sympathetic look and patted his metal body, apologizing for all that he'd been through. He seemed relieved after having gotten it off his "chest". Codsworth had then presented to her, a holotape. Saying it was for Nate from Nora before the bombs came, sending them fleeing for the vault. Thanking him Addison walked over to her brother's spot on the rock wall by the river, plopping down next to him. "Here."

Nate looked over at the white and orange tape in his sister's hand. "What is it?" Addison continued to look out across the water. Having grown up next to the ocean up in Maine; the water always helped sooth her, whether she be upset, angry, annoyed…you name it. It was a place she could always go for solace to ease her ever racing mind.

"It's from Nora." Nate snatched it out of her hand, staring at it, and clutching it in a death grip. "I didn't listen to it. Didn't want to incase it was…icky," she joked scrunching her nose. Nate chuckled lowly. That had actually happened more than once. 'More than I'm willing to admit.' You know that old saying; curiosity killed the cat. Well, in this case, Addison had always been and would always be the cat. Thankfully she'd learned her lesson, as far as personal holotapes for her brother from Nora went at least. Nate pulled the dark haired woman close and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Addy." She smiled.

"You're welcome, big brother. If you want some privacy there's a computer in the yellow house just over there," she pointed with her thumb in the general direction of the building. "Some drug dealer was living there." Addison laughed, watching as Nate stood and brushed himself off. He thanked her again a trekked off toward the yellow house, still clutching the holotape to his chest.


Nate had stayed in the house with the computer, just listening to Nora and Shaun on an endless, torturous loop. He couldn't keep himself from pressing enter over and over again. At some point in the night he'd finally slumped over in the faded turquoise patio chair, and that's where Addison found him the very next morning. He looked peaceful, though the dark circles that had formed under his eyes would suggest nothing other than a fitful sleep. Sunlight poured into the room through the glass-less window, bathing it in an other-worldly glow. She hated to have to wake him. Addison gave him a gentle nudge. "Nate… Hey man, wake up." The dark haired man didn't even stir.

Giving a hefty sigh, she shook him a little harder. With each failed attempt to rouse her brother, the nudges turned into gentle shaking, which turned into chair kicking, and when that didn't work she had to practically drop kick the rusty chair to finally wake him up. Nate jolted awake with a slight scream. "What the fuck Addy?!" An annoyed and exhausted look set up shop on his normally smooth features.

"I'm sorry Nate, I tried the gentle approach and that didn't work. I had to resort to this. Now come on." She motioned for him to follow her out the door. When he didn't follow she turned back around. "Nathan. We need to leave today so we can go find Shaun." Nate gave a guilty uncaring shrug, and turned away in the chair.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Hey!" Addison ripped her brother out of the chair with a surprising amount of strength, grasped him by the shoulders firmly and glared at him. "Do you not want to find your kid?"

"What does it even matter Addy? We have no idea when he was taken. We were in that vault for 200 years." He tried to shrug out of his sister's grip, only to have her grip harder.

"You're damn right we don't know when he was taken. For all we know it could have been mere days after we were put on ice. It could have been a few decades later; hell it could have been fucking yesterday for all we know. The only way we're gonna know is if you get OFF your ass," she jabbed his chest on each word for emphasis. "And help me find him." Nate shrugged again, this time all Addison could see was red. Cocking her fist back, a mighty snarl exploded from her throat as she connected with the military man's jaw, sending him flying to the floor. Nate gripped his face in shock as blood poured down his chin from his busted bottom lip.

Addison stood rigged with fury, her whole body shook as she stared down her nose at her older brother; the man who had practically raised her and taught her to be strong no matter what. He was a shell of who he was and if she had anything to say about it, and boy did she, Addison would be damned before she let this behavior continue. "You know Nate, I get it. You had the most precious things in the world to you, taken. You may not think I get it but I do…" She paused, horrific memories playing behind her eyes. "I would think that instead of moping around felling sorry yourself, you would up my ass chomping at the bit to get out there and find Shaun. You know DAMN well that if Nora were here she'd have left last night and have been half way across the world if it meant she'd find him." Nate stared in stunned silence, but still didn't move. Taking this as a sign that he was still not going, Addison's lip curled. "You know what shithead? Fuck you! You wanna sit on your ass and sulk fine!" Stomping her way back down the hall of the house she roared, "I'll go find your son!"

A/N: OMG so much sibling drama happening right now, but I hope you can see it from both sides. Losing people you love could break anyone, and people handle grief differently. Addy just has a bad habit of putting her feelings on the back burner and it bits her in the ass a lot, and she also values family very much. So she's pretty hurt that Nate seems to be just giving up on his kid. I'm sorry this took so long! It's hard to write something everyone has done themselves a million times and make it as interesting as when you first played lol. Hope you enjoyed it!