Vaulted - A Fallout 4 Fan Fiction by Foxfire79 (Nora/Eventually Paladin Danse)

Disclaimer: Well obviously, if I don't work for Bioware, do you honestly think I'm going to work for Bethesda? Nobody wants to hire a hack writer like me. Any-who, all bitterness aside, I don't own anything related to the Fallout franchise except for the one or possibly two Sole Survivors I've created so far. Most of this chapter is set in a dream sequence because Nora is frozen, and I wanted to expand on her back story, so here it is! So, this is a flashback episode to how Nora and Phil got together, and the last big job they did. Enjoy!

Get started!

Every Day Is Friday - Part 02

Prague, New Year's Eve, 2072

They were about ten minutes away from the big countdown, and Nora was beginning to feel a little antsy for lack of a better word. She wasn't sure why, exactly. The entire evening had gone off without a hitch; she'd managed to get copies of the last of the files she'd needed from the lab, had made it back to her lodgings for a shower and a change before meeting the Science Faculty for pre-dinner drinks before they'd all headed to the National Museum for the biggest New Year's party in the city. Everyone was going to be there, not just the University faculty, but all of the important government officials, military advisors, possibly even the newly appointed Czech President. That meant there would be even more security than she and her own security team had planned for. This was the night they'd planned for her extraction. She was supposed to have just slipped out during the party and never returned, bringing the precious files she'd managed to acquire back to the United States. She didn't even have any weapons on her, she'd packed them all up for her team to retrieve and shadow away to their waiting aircraft. Things, however, never really run to plan. She took another sip of champagne and sighed, looking up at the huge clock that had been set up in the hall. Eight minutes now.

"My dear Nina, you don't seem to be in good spirits. Is this party not to your liking?" It was Nikolai Tomov, Dean of the University, who had interrupted her thoughts. He was dressed in his dapper best, including a top hat perched upon his unruly grey locks. Apparently they went all out for their special parties over here. Nora was glad she'd brought the sequin-encrusted little black dress she was currently wearing with her. She smiled at him, and waved away his concern with her non-glass holding hand.

"Just a little homesick, I think. I'm usually with my family at this time of year." Nikolai nodded, taking her arm to talk to her more closely. Nora didn't mind, she'd grown quite fond of the elderly gentleman. He was always more than happy to answer her questions, no matter how non-sequitur they became. He just seemed to be glad to have someone to listen to him. She placed her empty glass on a nearby table, and covered his hand with her own as he directed her out onto the dance floor, already filled with waltzing couples. He let go of her arm and turned to face her, bending forward in an elegant bow.

"My dear girl, would you do me the honor of joining me for a dance? It would do my poor old spirit a world of good..." Nora laughed, taking his arm, while sneaking another look at the clock. Five minutes to go. Damn.

"Professor Tomov, there's no way I'd rather ring in the new year." She dropped a curtsy, then took his hand, moving into the correct position to begin the dance with him. The dance lessons she'd been forced to take before heading over here were finally paying off. Soon they were in sync with everyone else on the floor, and the old man began speaking once more.

"You mentioned your family, saying you spend this time of year with them usually. Would this be in the UK, or America?" Nora startled slightly, looking into the older man's face. Her cover for this particular operation had her posing as a British citizen, and as far as she knew, her accent hadn't dropped. Nikolai smiled sadly, and continued twirling them about the dance floor. "I overheard you one evening, on the telephone. I think you assumed everyone had left, but I'd had one of my bursts of inspiration and had come over to the lab late at night. You were there, copying files I can only assume, and speaking to someone with a very natural North-Western accent." Nora looked away, towards the clock again, then back at him. Three minutes.

"I can explain, Nikolai..." The older man sighed, spun her out to an arms length, then brought her back into waltz position again. He looked resigned, and a little sad, but not like somebody who was about to call the guards on her. "I was sent here for information, but you've already figured that out. Your scientists are ahead of ours in their cryogenic research, and weapon tech. Our government's needed it, and I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time..." It looked like the President had arrived after all, with only two minutes to spare. The security in the room had almost doubled, and Nora could not see a viable exit anywhere. She swore under her breath.

"Thank you. For telling me the truth. Everyone else here treats me like a doddering old fool, but over this past year I have enjoyed our chats. Even though you were probably just using me for information. I have something to tell you, too. It wasn't just me having doubts about you. Some of the other lab technicians may have become a little jealous of the special treatment you were receiving. They also may have brought those petty jealousies to the attention of our local constabulary, who may in turn have informed our own government of a possible leak in the department. The President being here isn't the only reason security is so tight here tonight. I'm going to walk you out onto the balcony but from there you're going to have to make haste on your own, my dear. I assume you have a security team waiting out there for you?" Nora nodded, numbly, as he led her from the dance floor, past the two large, armed guards at the open doors, and out to the grand balcony overlooking the fountain in the garden below. The twenty second countdown had begun. "Just one thing, before you go... What is your name?" Nora blinked back a tear, knowing the danger the old man was now in having aided her in her escape.

"It's Nora. And I truly did enjoy all of your stories. Thank you, Nikolai." She slipped her earbud in and turned it on, immediately getting an earful of panicked chatter from her security team below. "Shep, can you hear me? I'm on the grand balcony, will be approaching from above, do you copy?" There was silence, then the pleasant baritone of her head of security replying with a string of curse words loud enough that even Nikolai could hear them. He chuckled while helping her straddle the large marble banister, then stepped back into the center of the small courtyard.

"Good luck, Nora. And God save the King." Nora startled once again. Why on earth would a citizen of the Czech Republic say that unless... The old man nodded, throwing her a jaunty salute and a grin before heading back towards the room now full of cheering people ringing in 2073. That old devil... He'd probably been an agent himself, back in the day. No wonder he'd sniffed her out. She swung her other leg over the cold marble and made ready to jump, when she heard a loud exclamation behind her.

"Where is she, old man?!" Nora dropped behind the banister, now balancing on the thin marble strip on the outside of the raised courtyard, thankful that her dress was black and not something that could be spotted more easily. One of the security guards had grabbed Nikolai by the sleeve and was trying to stare him down, to no avail.

"I don't know who you're talking about. I was out on the balcony, smoking by myself." The guard shoved him, and he fell to the ground, his hat rolling to the pillar that Nora was clinging to from the other side. "That was rather unnecessary, don't you think? I answered your question..." It was then that someone else joined them on the balcony, in plain clothes, with a small pistol drawn and aimed at him.

"He's a friend of hers, probably helped her escape. There's a certain protocol for these situations. Do you have anything to say for yourself, Dean Tomov." Nikolai straightened his tie and looked up at both men defiantly, seemingly unfazed by the gun pointed at him.

"I stand by my actions. Do as you must." The man with gun pulled the trigger, and Nikolai fell to the cold marble floor, his blood running through the pillars to drip onto the courtyard below. Nora held her breath, hoping they wouldn't notice her clinging there as the two men moved forward to look down over the banister to the ground below. The man with the gun looked up first, then headed back towards the crowded room.

"She couldn't have gone far. Get everyone to spread out, we'll cover the grounds fairly quickly. And get them to check any suspicious vehicles in the area as well. Maybe set out some roadblocks. That information cannot leave the country." The security guard saluted, then headed back inside as well, leaving Nora alone with the old man's body.

"Shit!" Nora squeezed her eyes closed, willing the tears that sprang into them away. There would be time to mourn the sweet old man later. Right now she was in a world of trouble. The gun had been silenced and nobody had heard the shot over their celebrating. It could be hours before anyone found him. There was another sudden burst of static over her earbud, then Shep's voice made it through.

"Princess? Y'there?" She couldn't look away from Nikolai's body, the blood streaming from his ruined head.

"They bloody shot him, right in front of me. They shot Nikolai for helping me." Another burst of static.

"They didn't see you though, right? Ah, there you are..." She felt a hand grasp her ankle and almost screamed and kicked out before recognizing the familiar silhouette of her head of security. She only knew his shape because she'd never really seen his face without goggles or camouflage on it. She slipped down from the balcony and into his waiting arms, then pulled her skirt back down to a respectable length. "I've got her boys, get the cars ready." She looked up at him sharply as she checked in her bag to make sure the memory sticks were still encased inside. They were, and she closed the bag with relief.

"Cars? More than one?" Shep looked toward the gate, a mere few metres away, and grimaced.

"It's protocol, for a situation like this. One actual transport, and one to confuse the many, many people who will be chasing us. Have you got everything?" Nora nodded. She'd already boxed up and sent home any personal belongings she'd acquired over the year she'd been living here, and anything left in her room was junk, and wouldn't provide any clues as to her whereabouts or her actual identity. She was good to go. "Alright then. You might want to ditch the heels, we're going to be running." Nora had already stowed the shoes in her handbag and was ready to go. Now that Nikolai, her only friend here, was dead, there was nothing keeping her here. "The cars should be just outside the gate and to the left. We'll both get in the second car, with Jones and Stanley. Marcus and Edgely will take the first car and try and lead them off. Let's go!"

They moved out of cover, sneaking to the edge of the shadowed area before making their way across the cool stone towards the gates. Nora heard a faint popping sound, then her ankle exploded in pain. She looked down and all she could see was blood and splintered pieces of bone where her ankle used to be. She didn't even have time to cry out before her shoulder exploded with the same pain, and she collapsed to the ground, gasping.

"Shep..." He'd stopped in his tracks when she'd fallen behind and dropped to his knees, picking her up and running through the gates, followed by the small pop's of a silenced firearm. He threw open the door of a black SUV parked down the street almost throwing her into the back before climbing in himself. She'd started seeing stars, and felt as if she'd throw up any minute, but they were safe, for the moment at least. She felt the engine turn over and heard the wheels spin as the car sped off down the road. She also felt a pair of warm hands prodding at her injuries, but she didn't feel much pain at all, because she was drifting off into oblivion...

And was jolted awake when the brakes slammed on and she almost rolled off the back seat onto the floor. Almost because she realised she was being held tightly but carefully in the arms of Shep, who was currently lying across the backseat of the SUV cradling her to his chest. At any other time she would have been mortified to be in this position, but at the moment... Then a wave of pain took her, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Shep didn't stir, but he did speak.

"Are we at the airfield already?" His deep voice rumbled in his chest, and Nora closed her eyes, trying not to jolt her shoulder again. She could feel his hand rubbing her back, trying to soothe her, and she couldn't help a small, pained smile from crossing her lips.

"Yeah boss, just waiting on the other guys then we'll jet out of here. We can get on the plane and wait, if you think that's a better option?" Shep cleared his throat, and Nora felt his adam's apple bob against the top of her head as he swallowed.

"That might be for the best. We'll need help getting out though, remember she's injured. If you guys make her worse you'll have to deal with me, understood?" The two masked men in the front seats exited the vehicle, moving around to open the back doors, giving them a second to themselves. Shep's hand rose to push her hair back behind her ear, and wipe some of the sweat from her brow. "How you holding up, Princess? Gonna survive this mess and save the world?" Nora took a deep breath as the doors opened and braced herself as Stanley coaxed her into a sitting position so he could lift her out of the car. Her brow furrowed and she almost passed out, but she managed to formulate an answer in her mind, just as the second SUV screeched onto the airfield tarmac.

"I always survive." Shep chuckled, still lying across the backseat, as Jones looked over his own injuries. "And stop calling me 'Princess', I never agreed to that code name..." Her answer dwindled away as Jones swore, looking down at Shep on the car seat before him.

"Jesus Shep, how many times were you shot? Do you have any blood left?" Shep waved him away as he tried and failed to sit up under his own volition, then groaned in agony as Jones hefted him into a more upright position. "Marcus, help me move him, he's bleeding out. Edgely, make sure the pilot is good to go, I'm going to have to try and remove these bullets and stabilize him while we're in the air. And I'll have to check over our girl again, too. There's no point to any of this if we lose her..." Nora's eyes widened as Shep was carried past her and onto the plane. Stanley must have felt her grow tense in his arms.

"Don't worry about him, he's been through worse. Compared to some of our other assignments, working with you has been a cake walk. Shep'll be fine, he always is. Now let's go home." He almost ran up the stairs and the door was pulled closed behind him, the engines of the plane already warming up for take off. They strapped her into an almost horizontal seat, right beside Shep, who was similarly strapped down. Now that they were in a more brightly lit area she could see the sorry states that they were both in, her left ankle and right shoulder both a bloody mess, and his body armour was shot to hell, blood dripping into the carpet under the seat beneath him. They must have been using armour piercing rounds to have left him in such a mess. She reached out to touch his arm, just to make sure he was still alive, and when he turned his head to look at her she was struck by just how lovely his eyes were. Then she realised it was the first time she'd ever seen him without a mask or goggles over his face, the first time in two years of working with the man and she'd never seen his eyes. She felt her own fill with tears, and he smiled, reaching his own hand over to hold hers.

"Hey now, none of that. We made it, we're going home. And Princess...?" He waited for her to gather her wits before continuing.

"What?" Shep grinned at her and winked.

"Happy New Year." Nora closed her eyes, the tears running down the sides of her face as she managed an exhausted chuckle, giving Shep's hand a squeeze before letting it drop and giving in to the painkiller that Jones had injected her with.

"Happy New Year..."

She slept through most of the flight back to London, occasionally jolted into wakefulness when Jones gave her shoulder or ankle a prod. He'd found and removed both bullets and the shrapnel from her wounds and set her broken bones as best he could but he was only a field medic and had very few tools at his disposal. She would need reconstructive surgery for both injuries. Shep on the other hand, well... He'd managed to dig five bullets out of him, two from his chest, two from his abdomen and one from his right arm. Luckily none of the had hit anything vital, and the body armour had helped but still, he had lost a lot of blood. Thankfully, the squads were set up so that all members had the same blood type, so they managed with a few transfusions during the flight and kept him going long enough to get to the government medical facility on the ground.

London, 2073

The entire team remained grounded while Nora and Shep recovered enough to travel back to Washington to bring the information Nora had garnered to the military. In the state of upheaval the world was currently in, with the lack of resources starting to take it's toll everywhere, she hoped that what little information she could provide to give them an advantage would help.

As soon as Nora could walk comfortably, albeit with a cane for assistance, she'd visit Shep in his recovery room. He'd been hooked up to machines for weeks, to assist his organs with regrowth, and still couldn't really walk without major assistance, but he didn't seem to mind. He'd just look at her, and smile, throwing her the occasional thumbs up. Today was no different. Except it was, for her. As always she was slightly taken aback by his shirtless form in the hospital bed. He was just so damn handsome!

"Well, Princess, looks like you'll be heading back soon. I'm just sorry I won't be able to see you get your Medal of Honor from the President. Damn my useless human body!" Nora laughed, placing a hand over his without even realizing what she was doing. He looked down at their fingers, bemused, then looked back up at her. "Listen, Princess..." She threw him a stern look.

"Stop calling me that, it's a stupid code name." He threw an exasperated look back at her.

"Then stop calling me Shep, damnit! I have a first name!" Nora felt her cheeks starting to turn pink, and he took the opportunity to grab hold of her hand more tightly. "Nora, look... I know we haven't really had a chance to get to know each other, you know, like normal civilians would, but when I get out of here... I don't know, do you maybe wanna..." His proposal was interrupted by Stanley wandering into the room, looking for Nora. He was closely followed by Jones, coming to check on Shep. Nora sprung away from him, not noticing just how closely she'd been sitting to him, practically leaning over him on his bed. She hoped the others hadn't noticed. Jones cleared his throat, then moved her hand aside so he could check Shep's pulse.

"Hmmm, a little fast, can't imagine why..." Shep threw a murderous look at his so-called friend, then looked back towards Nora.

"Nora..." Her cheeks still felt warm as she realised that speaking to her must have been what made his pulse race, then Stanley cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Miss, your transport is ready to head out. Non-stop to Washington, gotta love those express flights. We'll see you there in a few months when the boss is flight ready." Nora looked at Shep apologetically as his face fell.

"That's why I came by today, to say goodbye. They moved my flight up because my recovery is going so well. I guess I'll be seeing you in a few months..." She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "'Bye Phillip. I'll see you soon." He absently raised his hand to the spot where she'd kissed him, and grinned.

"It's just Phil. Only my dad calls me Phillip! And that's only when he's mad! See you! We'll finish this conversation later!" He was still calling out to her as she walked down the corridor with Stanley towards the hangars.

"I think he likes you, Miss." Stanley shouldered her heavy bag and threw her a sideways glance. She chuckled and punched the huge man beside her in the arm. He pretended to be hurt, all the while grinning back.

"You know what? I think I like him, too." Stanley threw her bag into the cargo hold, then saluted her as she made to climb into the plane. She pulled him into a hug instead, and she felt him laughing as he patted her on the back. "I'm going to miss you boys. What am I going to do with myself until you guys get back?" Stanley scratched his head, puffing out a breath.

"Don't know, Miss. Maybe relax for a while, and try not to get shot again?" Nora smiled, straightening his baseball cap, then headed up the stairs into the aircraft.

"I never want to get shot again! Now relaxing... That sounds like a plan. Bye Stanley!" The large man waved as the door closed behind her. And so Nora returned to the United States. She had her debriefing with the military and made sure all of the files she'd transmitted matched up with the hard copies she'd handed over. She'd respectfully delayed her meeting with the Lady President until the rest of her team arrived, and the Oval Office had no issue with the few months of delay. Now her days were filled with therapy sessions for her shoulder and her ankle, and waiting for the rest of her boys to come home. Almost a year had gone by and they still hadn't returned. Or maybe they had and just hadn't told her. She pushed that thought away, knowing it couldn't possibly be true. She hadn't read Shep's, sorry, Phil's signal's incorrectly, had she? He'd been interested in her. She sighed and set out for her morning walk, cane in hand, hoping one day she wouldn't need the additional support of the walking device.

Washington D.C., New Year's Eve, 2073

She'd finally received a message from Stanley a week before, saying they'd be back just in time for the big night. They were all to meet at The White House for their presentation, then go out to celebrate afterwards. It had been almost an entire year since she'd seen her old security team, but she'd remained in contact with video calls and messages sent via their devices. There had been complications with Phil's surgeries, mostly him trying to do too much before he'd recovered and undoing all the doctor's work. He'd finally given in and followed doctor's orders, and had been fine to fly just in time. Now Nora was pacing in the waiting area, wondering where they could all be. I mean, it's not like five men of that size could really sneak anywhere... She heard a small exclamation from down the hall, and her head spun automatically in that direction.

"There she is. Hi Miss!" She hobbled/ran to Stanley, throwing herself at him in a huge bear hug, both of them laughing. "It's been too long, Miss. You look better." She peered over his should at the rest of the group, and frowned.

"Where's Shep?" She heard his throat clearing from further down the hallway, and she scrambled out of Stanley's embrace.

"Right here, Princess." The first thing she noticed was that he was thinner than she remembered, and a little paler than usual. Other than that... She walked slowly towards him, and offered him a hand to shake in greeting. He scoffed at the gesture and pulled her in close to him, wrapping his arms around her. "We have a conversation to finish, M'lady. Hopefully a conversation that ends in something better than a handshake." She closed her eyes, savouring the warm feeling of his arms around her, then stepped back, looking him over again.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're talking about conversations, and that's not the man of action I know." He winced slightly as she pulled away, stretching his sides a little, and she guessed that maybe he wasn't quite as well as he could be. "You're still hurt, aren't you? Should you be here...?" He stopped her words with a finger placed upon her lips and shook his head.

"Nothing was going to keep me away from seeing you a minute longer. Also, I wanted my award for all the dangerous shit you put me and my men through. We are totally owed it." Nora laughed, seeing his sense of humour was still intact. The other three men stood off to the side, trying not to watch their reunion, while Stanley stood there beside them trying to stop himself from tearing up. He reached toward her, pulling her closer to him again so he could whisper. "And I believe I may owe you a kiss, seeing as you sneakily gave me one just before you left me to my convalescence. That was truly unfair." Nora could feel herself starting to blush again, and silently berated herself. She'd never been one of the girls that fell to swooning whenever a handsome face looked at her. Then again, she knew Phil wasn't just a handsome face. It had been his job for the past two years to keep her alive and safe, and he's managed to do so while remaining completely anonymous. Then she's seen his lovely brown eyes for the first time, and... Well... She'd fallen for him. Hard. Before she could say anything in response, one of the Aides motioned for them to come forward, and they all shuffled toward the door. The Aide stopped her before they entered the room, motioning towards her cane.

"Sorry, Ma'am, we can't let you take the walking stick inside." She handed the stick to the Aide, then almost toppled as she leaned on her ankle to hard to turn around. Phil, of course, was right there to steady her. He glared at the Aide, who suddenly didn't know where to look, then assisted her to walk/hobble into the Oval Office. President Dwyer stood in the centre of the room, with a table lined with medals, ready to be handed out. She smiled at each of them in turn, shaking their hands, and pinning their awards on their dress jackets. Then it was Nora's turn. She kept her limp to a minimum as she stepped forward, shaking the diminutive Official's hand while accepting her award, then stepped back, leaning heavily against Phil again, though he didn't seem to mind. One of his hands moved to her waist, steadying her, and she raised an eyebrow. The hand was closer to her rear end than it should have been, and he knew it. He tossed her a cheeky wink, just before the President addressed them as a group.

"The service you've provided our country, and our brother's across the ocean, will hopefully lend us the advantage we need to combat any needs which may arise in these tumultuous times. I personally thank you, and I have a live video feed from His Majesty to lend his congratulations to you also. It's a personal message, so I'll step out and leave you to it, for a moment. This is, after all, MY office." Dwyer smirked as she walked out one of the slightly hidden doors, leaving them to the office and the large screen against the wall. The men made to move out as well, but Nora stopped them.

"No, he can thank all of us, it wasn't just me. Stay." The screen burst into life, showing the handsome young King of the British Isles and Provinces in his full regalia, seated on his Throne.

"Nora Garland. We thank you for your service to the Crown, and to all of our outlying nations whom we can now accommodate better, having been provided these blueprints to create better kinds of weaponry and more protective measures. You may have saved many lives while putting yours, and your team's, at risk." Nora dropped a well practiced curtsy, even with Phil's steadying hands helping her.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I was just fulfilling my duty." The King nodded sagely, then motioned to whoever was in the room with him to leave, before leaning forward, his crown tilting dangerously on his head.

"Bloody hell, Nora, what were you thinking?! You could have been killed! You got shot! Twice!" Nora puffed out a breath, crossing her arms.

"They weren't supposed to tell you the details, Rob..." The King had removed his crown at this point and had placed it on the now empty throne as he paced before the camera. "You knew when I started this job I'd be getting into rather dicey situations..." He moved in more closely to the camera, his face filling the entire screen.

"I'm not supposed to send my best friend into certain danger on a daily basis! If you'd only said 'yes' when I'd asked you to marry me all those years ago, we wouldn't be in this predicament!" Nora sighed, rubbing her forehead, before moving closer to the camera herself.

"If I'd married you all those years ago, we'd both be bored as all get out and resentful of each other. I'd rather have you as my friend." Rob's eyes widened, and he blinked a few times, running this truth through his head.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Also, I would never have met Angela and married her, and she's brilliant." Nora barked out a laugh, nodding. "So, don't get mad, but I spoke to MI 6 about releasing you from that contract, seeing as you, oh, I don't know, ALMOST DIED. And it's hard for a man in my position to hold onto the friends he made before he came into wearing the 'big hat', as it were... So they said they'd let you go. Full benefits and all. As a personal favour to me, seeing as I'm, well, the King. I can have a word with the colonists as well, if you'd like me to?" Nora's first reaction was anger, then she realised... Maybe it was time for her to stop playing 'Secret Agent' after all. These injuries weren't a laughing matter, she was still in pain after a year of therapy. Perhaps she'd just been lucky up to this point. She sighed, and looked through the lens.

"Thanks Rob. I think I'll take the retirement package. I have some stuff I need to do. I might even finally finish that law degree I was studying when I met you." Rob grinned through the camera back at her.

"So you'll come back to England and finish studying here, right?" Nora shook her head, and felt Phil suddenly relax next to her. Rob's face fell a little, then he composed himself and smiled. He was the King, after all. "Ah, I understand. Things to do, people to see, and all that. Where will you be living?" Nora hadn't even thought about that yet, but remembered Phil mentioning something about wanting to visit Massachusetts, and she was originally from the area.

"Boston, I think. Boston would be nice." The idea of getting back to studying seemed to be growing on her now. And spending some more time working on her physiotherapy would definitely be advisable. Possibly spending some more time with Phil would be nice too. Rob moved back towards the throne, picking up his crown which he replaced on his head, at a slightly jaunty angle.

"Very well, then. You are hereby released from your contract of work with any and all Governments under my power or otherwise, after I have a word with her Ladyship at your end. Enjoy your retirement, and have a good life. And keep in touch for heaven's sake, it gets so boring over here! 'Bye mate!" He blew her a kiss, making her chuckle.

"'Bye Rob, say hi to Angie and the boys for me." The men all waved goodbye as well, then they all headed back out into the waiting vestibule. Edgely nudged her in the side, getting her attention.

"And that is why we call you 'Princess'. Because you almost were one." Nora rolled her eyes, and puffed out an annoyed breath.

"Yeah, he wishes." Phil retrieved her walking stick from the President's Aide, before telling President Dwyer they'd vacated her office, and that the King wished to have a quick word, before they all began heading outside. Nora sighed, finding herself leaning more heavily on her cane than usual. Apparently, speaking to two heads of state in one afternoon was incredibly draining. Another Aide stepped in front of them just before they walked out of the main entrance, holding a holo-clipboard. He cleared his throat quietly to gain her attention, then held the board out towards her.

"Ms Garland, your discharge papers, if you could just sign here... and here... and once more over here. Thank you for work. The President sends her thanks as well, and wishes you the best of luck with your future endeavours." Nora handed the stylus back to the Aide, who nodded a farewell and dashed away.

"Wow, when Rob says he's going to set the wheels in motion, he's not kidding. I guess I'm officially unemployed now." Edgely nodded, stepping up on her other side.

"You're probably also rich. Might want to check your bank balance sometime soon. All that danger money will you make you one eligible bachelorette... Ow!" Phil had elbowed his chatty offsider in the arm rather sharply, followed by a glower. "My mistake. That large amount of money will be a fine asset for you as you travel this world completely alone, with no-one at all worshipping at your feet... Ow! Fine, I'll stop, jeez..." Nora chuckled, wondering exactly how much cash she'd been paid out. She hoped there would be anough for her tuition fees, then some left over to buy a house. The rest she might invest somehow... She could feel Phil's eyes burning into her back as she'd walked a few steps ahead of them, but when she turned he looked swiftly at Jonesy, pretending to be in deep conversation. Jonesy rolled his eyes, smothering a grin, as he pretended to listen. She turned to Marcus, who was his usual stoic self.

"Marcus, what are the plans for tonight? We're all going out for New Year's drinks, right?" The large man nodded, retrieving his device from his pocket. He scrolled through the daily reminders until he found the evening's plans.

"Twenty-two thirty hours, at our hotel's bar. We're not really dressing up, but I don't know, if you want to wear a dress or whatever, well... I'm fairly certain the Boss wouldn't mind." Nora looked up at him, bemused.

"Did you just crack a joke, Marcus?" He shrugged, putting his device away.

"It happens occasionally, Ma'am. Let's just say the Boss is a very singular man. He's only thought about you for the past three years, and now that you're not working together, and you're an honest to god civilian, he's most likely going to pursue you with every fibre of his being. Be prepared for some excessive wooing. He doesn't do anything by halves." Nora could feel her cheeks reddening, and for some reason she didn't know what to do with her hands. She decided shoving them deep into her pockets was the only solution as they once again headed towards the large, heavy oak doors leading to the White House lawns.

"Excessive wooing, huh? Sounds like a challenge..." Marcus reached out, ruffling her hair with one hand as he moved ahead of her to ask the guards to open the doors. The icy wind from outside hit them with a blast, making Nora shiver and run her hands over her arms. But that was odd, because the day they'd gone to the White House, while it had been winter, had not been particularly cold. In fact, it had been quite sunny, and while it had been chilly enough to wear coats that afternoon, they weren't particularly heavy coats. That's why the flurries of snow now swirling in through the doors, and curling around her toes, were a complete surprise.

"Are you guys seeing this...?" Her words died away as she realised she was now alone in the foyer, with no-one in sight, not even outside the doors. She could see her breath steaming in front of her, and could feel her skin growing increasingly numb. She tried to blink her eyes and found she couldn't, then tried to move her arms, and also found them unresponsive. She tried to take a step forward, but found her feet rooted to the ground. She finally managed to close her eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to release a scream to draw attention from anyone in the vicinity, but the cold air filling her throat choked her, making her voice disappear...

...Now...

Nora opened her eyes again, just as the hatch closed back over the cryo pod. She could hear voices, as if from a distance, speaking outside in the vestibule.

"I told you it wasn't with her, on the manifest it said the husband was holding it." A man, but she didn't recognise the voice.

"The manifest this, the manifest that, sheesh! This is why I don't like working with you, you always rub it in when somebody goofs up!" And a woman. A rather sarcastic woman at that.

"'Goofs up'? What if we sealed her back in wrong, we could have messed up the entire plan?" The man again. A complete worrywart, apparently.

"Look at the panel, alright! Green lights all the way, she's back in popsicle city. Just a slight thaw when we opened the lid, but everything's cool now! Ha ha, cool..." The woman was the joker of the two, apparently.

"Fine. Let's do this properly then. Open him up..." The man was all business.

"You're not fun..." Nora agreed with the woman. He was no fun. But what exactly were they up to? Obviously opening up another pod, but who... She breathed in sharply, the frigid air burning in her throat, as she realised who's pod they were about to open. They pressed a few buttons on the panel beside his pod, and the door sprung open, with a release of steam. The door remained open, and a warming glow filled his pod as the internal heater switched on, thawing his and Shaun's sleeping forms. He stumbled slightly as he moved to step out of the pod, and the woman immediately went to take Shaun from his arms.

"What's happening? Is it time to move into the living quarters now? I can carry him, I'm fine." The woman stepped aside, he face obscured by a medical mask.

"I can see you're fine sir, and if you'll come along quietly with your son, we'll explain everything in the recovery room." Phil looked at the two of them, incredulously, clutching Shaun more tightly, while leaning against the pod. From his stance, Nora could tell that he clearly wasn't alright. Being frozen for... however long they'd been frozen, his body wouldn't be at one hundred percent for a few hours at least.

"I don't think so. Why don't you release my wife as well, and we'll all go in there as a family?" Nora would have smiled at that, had her face not been completely immobile.

"This is not how this was supposed to go. Hand the baby over, we'll put you back in your pod. and everybody lives." Nora was truly starting to hate the masked man. Phil set his jaw, clutching Shaun even more tightly.

"You'll have to kill me first." Nora sucked in another breath, trying to call out to him to stop, but she could feel the cold seeping into her bones again.

"Fine with me..." The action seemed to be playing out in slow motion before Nora's frozen stare. The man pulled out a pistol, aimed it at Phil's chest, and fired twice, knocking him sideways and backwards, back into the cryo pod. The woman reached forward, grabbing Shaun, who was now starting to fuss, from Phil's arms. They re-closed the pod and hurried from the room, out of Nora's field of vision. Their conversation continued but she only managed to process a few of the words.

"...at least we still have the spare..."

Nora tried to close her eyes again, but couldn't. She couldn't even cry in this state. Before she fell unconscious once more she tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Two unnamed individuals had just killed her husband and kidnapped her son. Hopefully somebody would legitimately thaw her out soon so she could track down those two murderers and get her son back. Until then, though... She clenched her jaw, and watched as the window before her iced over once more, and her mind returned to her dreaming state, now filled with thoughts of Phil and Shaun, and revenge.

END OF PART 02

Alrighty, very slowly catching up to the storyline, I've neglected all my other games in favour of Fallout 4 so I can progress this storyline, hence the very long flashback sequence to fill in time. Hopefully you guys find it acceptable, and I will continue on over the next few weeks actually playing the game and getting my characters sorted! Sorry this took so long, but I am back at work, and have been super busy, all I can hope is that you can forgive me and that enjoy the read! As always read, review and enjoy!

Foxfire out!