The second chapter will begin with a little Bran Stark. I have realized that I had forgotten the warnings, so here we go.

Warning: Mature language, fictional drug use/abuse and overdosing, mature themes.

Disclaimer: A Song of Ice and Fire and all its related characters belong to George R. R. Martin. Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas and all its locations and scenarios belong to Bethesda.

Chapter Two:

Bran whistled a tune he had heard on an old Holotape long ago as he wandered down the old and beaten path tothe local armourer and munitions merchant; Mikken's Forge. He nodded at one of the law enforcement officers that usually hung around close to the South Ruins, and the bandits and thieves that roamed around.

Vault 3 was once one of the seven vaults located in the Mojave Wasteland, holding its maximum capacity of a thousand souls. His father had told him that while his Uncle Brandon was alive, the vault had been attacked one night. A hundred men; drug addicts, rapists, slavers and thieves, descended upon the inhabitants of the vault. Ned had been one of the thirty men they could round up from the small closest town. It took fifteen minutes to round up the men and get there.

"By the time we got there the entire Vault was dead. Blood was everywhere, it was catastrophic."

Bran had made it is duty to never set foot close to Vault 3, not that Arya would let him. He opened the door to Mikken's forge and smiled at the old man. Placing the armor down on the counter, he spoke. "Morning Mikken got something for you."

Mikken's tired eyes sparkled when he saw how damaged the armor was. "Good morning then?"

Bran shrugged. "Kind of. Arya won the bet today, but it's alright; dad said that that me and him are going on a bit of a trip soon. He said he wants to take me to the Hoover Dam. Uncle Robert is coming in for some motivational speech with the troops."

Mikken sighed as Bran spoke of President Baratheon so casually. "You know, you can't call him Uncle Robert in front of our boys."

"I know!" Bran scowled. "Don't forget though Mikken, there are some women that serve too. Look at Brienne."

"If she wasn't engaged to Jaime Lannister you'd think she was a man." Mikken mumbled, getting to work on the armour that Bran had brought him. "By the way, my grandson is on his way down from Rivet City in downtown D.C, he should be here today so do you think you can send your dad over? He's very unfamiliar with the hazards we suffer and the caravan he's coming with only goes as far as Goodsprings."

Bran nodded eagerly. "Well, if you'd like I can see if Joffrey would want to come with me. He's been trained in combat."

"Do you think he would?" Mikken asked, lowering the hammer he was using to pound out the dents in the armour." "I could pay you guys for his safety."

"You wouldn't need to pay us Mikken, we help our own remember?"Bran replied, slinging his now empty backpack over his shoulder. "I'll go and ask dad right now if he'd be okay with me heading down that way. Bye Mikken!"

Mikken waved at the young boy as he exited his shop and continued with his work.

XOX

"Please dad!" Bran pleaded. "Mikken needs someone to go and get him, Goodsprings is only a day trip and I'll take Joffrey."

"I said no Brandon, you're only thirteen." Ned replied, adamant on not allowing his young son spend a day and night traipsing across the harsh desert.

"Come on dad, you let Jon and Robb go to Novac when they were my age." He begged. "Novac is close to the rocket test site there's hundreds of white walkers there!"

Ned sighed; Bran would not give this up. "Alright Bran, you can go-"

Bran thrust a hand into the air. "Thanks dad, you won't regret it! I'll bring tons of ammo!"

"But you're taking Arya too." Ned said with finality. "She's a better shot that you."

"Alright, Arya can come." Bran nodded.

"Where am I going?" Arya asked, coming into the shop from the back room.

"You're taking your brother to Goodsprings to meet with Mikken's grandson." Ned said to his daughter. "It's a full day's trip, you can leave later tonight with Robb and Jon; they're heading down by Camp McCarren but from there you are on your own. Be safe."

Arya grinned to herself as she left to her sister's place; any opportunity to leave Freeside, even for a day was a big deal to her. It showed her father (but more importantly her mother) that she was capable of living by her own means and not needing a man (like that Dayne boy that was sniffing around) to take care of her like her sister Sansa. There was nothing wrong with needing a man; especially in this day and age, but it was not something that Arya wanted for herself. Any guy she was with would need to understand that she was more than just a pretty wife, she was a fighter, a scavenger but most importantly she was her own person.

She knocked on Sansa and Joffrey's door and then walked in. "Sansa, Joff you home?"

Sansa's pretty red hair peeked out from the kitchen. "Hey Arya what are you doing here?"

"Is Joff home? We're going to Goodsprings to meet Mikken's grandson and Dad doesn't feel safe just letting me and Bran wander down from Camp McCarran by ourselves." Arya rolled her eyes. She was sixteen for crying out loud!

Sansa shook her head. "He had to go to work quickly; apparently someone freaked out when he lost big at the blackjack table and threatened a waitress. Do you want me to send someone over?"

"Nah its fine." She responded. "We're not leaving til Robb and Jon finish their shifts anyway. Would you let him know to meet us all at our house at about five-ish?"

"Of course!" Sansa replied, hugging her sister. "How long of a trip will it be? I need to pack him a duffel bag."

Arya shrugged."No idea, probably about two days max. I've already got a full med pack prepped and I know a couple of abandoned shacks we can stay in."

Sansa turned to the kitchen window; her eyes sweeping across the half demolished buildings and raggedy children that amused themselves in the rubble with the scavenged toys their parents traded for at her father's store. She unconsciously placed a hand on her stomach, splaying her fingers over the life she and her wonderful husband had made. Any trip outside of Freeside could lead to his death and leave their child fatherless before it was even born. It was the life her husband had chosen; to protect her and the town their family called home.

"Sansa you know he'll be fine." Arya said solemnly. "Joffrey is my brother and I will protect him. I have his back as much as he has mine and neither of us will allow anything to jeopardize his chances of watching his child grow up."

"I know." Sansa replied. "But I will always worry for him."

Arya simply hugged her sister and took her leave. She had about two hours before they had to leave and she still had some things to pack. She slipped out the front door and made her way home; stopping briefly at the New Vegas clinic to grab a few extra Stimpaks for their trip and running into Bran along the way. "Ready for your first trip down south?"

"Yes!" Bran yelled excitedly, he had just turned fourteen and saw this as a rite of passage into his manhood. Both Robb and Jon had taken trips like this when they were around his age; well, Robb was his age and Jon a year older. Although technically Jon was their cousin, the siblings loved him like a brother and he was actually quite shocked when Catelyn and Ned sat him down and told him that he was not born of them.

"You may have not been born of my body Jon Stark but you are still my son do not ever think otherwise!" Catelyn had told the crying boy of sixteen. "Your mother and father were taken from us too soon but they left me with a beautiful boy to raise in their memory."

"Please Brandon, I know you are excited but do not wander off on your own, or try to take on everything that comes at you alone." Arya told her younger brother. "You have both me and Joff to help you – not protect you Bran – but to help you. I remember my first trip outside; it was only to The Thorn to take some Mantis eggs that dad had but I was so headstrong and ended up with a broken leg and almost died. Please let us help you if you need it."

"I will." He replied softly. He could vividly remember that day. Arya had been carried into the house in the dead of night convulsing from the poison the Radscorpion had injected her with. His mother was a wreck as her father lathered her up with antivenom and prayed for her to live through the night. "What time are we leaving?"

"As soon as Joffrey gets here." Arya replied. The pair had reached their home and headed straight down to their rooms.

They used the precious few hours to get some sleep. They we be setting off around sunset.

XOX

Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner but I like to write at least 1500 words per chapter because I do tend to make my stories short.

Thanks for all the support!

Roxy x