Chapter 3 - Stay.

Once the early sun had just barely started peeking over the horizon, Nate had woken as soon as he felt daylight hit and warm his face. Fleur, naturally, never slept, so she was already awake. They both took as many things as they could in their bags, and set off on the road to leave Sanctuary Hills. As Nate walked across the broken bridge that led out, he could spot something just around the bend. Hurrying along, Fleur following closely behind, he briskly made his way down the street, to see a sign with gas prices on them and the familiar Red Rocket Station logo, "This place is still here, after all this time? You'd think a gas station would've popped." Nate commented as they approached it. The place was completely deserted, but a disaster. Trash, debris and broken old cars were littering the places. Even the inside, which had some workbenches. Someone had been here before, maybe they were still around, "Fleur, check around, see if you can find any signs of someone living here recently. I'm gonna check the inside."

"As you wish, Monsieur." Fleur immediately began to slowly circle around the building, looking for anything that could tell them someone had been here. Old fires, beds, remains of food or human waste.

Nate walked into the Red Rocket's garage, first, inspecting everything that awaited him. There were a couple of workbenches, which would be great for keeping his gun maintained. Or anything else he might find that needed repairs. The place still seemed to be packed with plentiful tools and adhesives, which made good for modifications. If Fleur ever got damaged again and needed to be repaired, this would be the place to take her. There was also a power armor stand, "Incredible..." He mumbled quietly. Naturally, those things withstood the test of time. If he got his hands on one of those, and brought it here... He'd be unstoppable in the wasteland. In his time in Anchorage, Nate had stepped into power armor a couple of times. Though he was a bigger target, nothing made anyone feel safer than being inside a giant metal suit of armor that could go head to head with Chinese tanks. He wondered if there were any T-51 power armor sets left from the military around the wasteland. Those would be the most useful.

Investigating further, he moved out of the garage and stepped out into a small hall. There was a broken-down food dispensing machine, debris and trash littered the place, and the windows were completely blown out, allowing for the breeze to freely roll in. Nate moved around behind a small counter. There were two rooms, one full of old boxes and more trash, and then another room lacking a door. Poking his head inside, this must've been the owners or managers room. It was deserted. There were definitely signs of life; an old bedroll, and empty bags of food. Whoever had lived here, and moved things such as workbenches and power armor stations, might still be around. Or perhaps not. It would take a little more investigating to figure that out. At the end of the room, there was a desk and terminal. Some old filing cabinets and a box underneath the desk. Kneeling down, his hands wrapped around the box and opened it up. It was full of... Bottle caps? Was the owner a collector?

"I found an old fire pit, Monsieur. But it has not been lit in ages. Whoever used to live here has long since left, I imagine. Oh, lucky you, monsieur! You've found a stash of caps!" Fleur suddenly spoke from the doorway, her voice chirpy and excited for him.

"Why?" Nate turned back to look at her, holding one of the bottle caps up, "The hell good does this do me?"

"Oh, forgive me, monsieur! I had forgotten, you don't know anything about the wastes. Well, bottle caps have replaced paper money as currency." She quickly explained.

"Bottle caps?" Nate asked, "I mean... If it works. Good for us." He closed up the box of caps and shoved it into one of his bags, "One of the things I've still got to do is establish a proper shelter. Somewhere for us to stay permanently, a place we can go to when we're not... Out there," Nate paused, "I think this place would be perfect. Abandoned, workbenches, a room I can make my own. It's gonna take a lot of work, but if we can get this place to be cleaned out and serve as a home, we'll have a proper place to stay. Venturing into the wastes is going to have to wait a bit longer. As much as I want to get out there and find Shaun, I still have no idea where to start looking. Diamond City sounds like a great place to start, but I have no idea where the hell that is."

"Diamond City... I am sure it is the old ballpark in the city, Monsieur. It's why they call it, 'The Great Green Jewel.' But it's a long walk from here. It would be best to establish this shelter as our own first." Fleur exited the room, "I shall begin cleaning up!"

Nate watched her exit, considering his new options, now. Diamond City was the old ballpark in the downtown center of the city. It was miles away, but if he started early in the morning, he could use the daylight to arrive perhaps before the sun completely set. If he wanted to, he could begin heading there. Just as soon as tomorrow, or even the day after. The Red Rocket Station would take probably a few days to get the entire mess cleaned, and even more supplies to be gathered to get bedding in, or maybe even a water pump. Whatever he needed for survival, that much was for sure. Plus, extra food. Animals must've been alive, if humans were. He'd need to hunt, gather and cook meat to eat. What took priority?

Shaun?

His survival?

Nate took a moment to think about it. If he was underfed, had no place to stay, and no water to drink, how could he ever have the strength to find Shaun? Unfortunately for Nate, and Shaun, his trip to Diamond City would have to wait until the Red Rocket Station was completely set up. And so, the cleaning began.

It took hours of the first day. Nate had found a radio that was tuned into Diamond City. He set it up on the counter, and let it play music for all hours of the day as he and Fleur toiled away. Fleur revealed and interesting function she had: the ability to purify water. Naturally, Nate would be taking full advantage of that. So far, he still had a good supply of water left. Drinking water, water to bathe in, clean from the vault. He wouldn't have a need for Fleur's ability to purify water just yet, but she was technically a water source. Perhaps it was too risky to lose her, and she would have to stay behind and watch the place. Nate felt she wouldn't be thrilled with the idea, but while she served him, she was free to make her own decisions. After two hundred years of absence, Nate considered her a 'free' Nanny Bot.

As the sun began to set, and the daylight retreated, to be overtaken by shadow, Nate set up a large bucket to stand in and use the purified water to bathe himself. He was covered in sweat and grime from moving trash and debris for the entirety of the day. As he bathed, Fleur made sure his clothing were clean and neatly folded, awaiting him. Once finished, he re-dressed and made his way back inside the Red Rocket Station. Luckily for him, the person who used to live here left their bedroll behind. Tucking himself into it, he told Fleur goodnight and drifted to sleep. The following few days would be more of the same. Cleaning, and then hunting.

That night, Nate dreamt again. But it wasn't of his time in the war. He had a strange dream, of running. He wasn't exactly sure what he was running from, but he had to run. Sprint, chase, pursue or maybe he was running from something. Once he woke, he hadn't a clue what he might've been running from. It was a strange dream, with absolutely no importance or meaning. So long as he didn't have nightmares, he didn't care what he dreamt of. That morning, he and Fleur once more began cleaning out the debris inside and outside of the shop. Anything that could be broken down into components and scavenged for parts was and had been put away into a container. At some point, once the sun was at its highest point in the sky, indicating noon, Nate decided to grab his pistol and head off hunting. Before he could go, Fleur stopped him.

"Would you like me to come along, Monsieur?" She asked him, waiting by the garage door.

Nate turned to look at her, "I've got this. Stay here and keep cleaning up. I'll try and come back with some food. Maybe get a fire prepped, in case I do. If not, might as well make more lentils. See you in a little while." He told her.

"Wait, monsieur! Be safe out there. There are more than animals, you know... Watch out for people." She warned him, "Raiders are not exactly friendly."

Nate hadn't considered the possibility of running into other hostile people yet. The thought hadn't come to him... Looking down at his pistol, he considered his options in case he ever ran into 'raiders'. As much as he didn't want to kill a human, again, he didn't have much trouble shooting and killing someone who was trying to kill him, though he'd rather avoid it. But anyone who got in the way of him finding his son... They'd have to be taken down. How he went about it, he wasn't sure. But he knew he'd have to cross that bridge once he got there, "Thanks for the warning. But don't worry about me, all right? I can take care of myself. I'll see you later."

Nate left the area, walking down the road for a few minutes before splitting further into the wilderness that awaited him. He walked slowly, and without trying to make much noise in case he spotted an animal. No doubt they were still as jumpy and quick to run as they were before. But if roaches became bigger due to mutations, what could've happened to deer? Did they get smaller? Bigger? Maybe grow extra antlers? Perhaps he'd find out...

A solid hour had passed before Nate had eventually run across an animal. He saw something, in the brush. Crouching low, he readied his pistol. Looking off, trying to get a better look at it. It started moving, stepping out of the brush. Nate moved aside from his cover, peeking out to view the animal. It was all black, resembling a deer, except it had two heads. Well, he was almost right with the extra antlers theory. Looking down at his 10mm, he wondered if it would be enough to down the creature. It was big, but had the necessary amount of meat on it, for sure. Perhaps if he got closer, and fired a good shot at its lungs. Nate attempted to approach quietly, staying low and having his pistol on its safety setting until he was ready to fire. Looking down at the ground, he was cautious not to step on any branches or anything else that might make a loud noise and alert the 'deer' that he was approaching. Soon, the deer was just thirty or so feet away from him, its head and defenses lowered as it ate grass. Nate aimed his pistol at the deer… When a thought occurred to him: This was impractical. A 10mm handgun wouldn't take down a deer. At the most, he'd injure it. Then, it would scurry off and lead him on a larger chase than he was ready to do at the moment. There had to be other, smaller game around the forest.

Wandering around for another couple of hours, the most he found were more skeletons, and broken items laying in the dirt. To his luck, he managed to find some tools, and spare ammunition - at least, very little of it. As he wandered, the sound of a crackling fire and low voices could be heard over a short hill, behind some trees and brush. Nate hadn't seen another human of this time since he woke a couple of days warned him to be careful, telling him there were raiders in the area. As he approached, he heard the conversation. It sounded… Non-violent. Just a couple survivors having regular, day-to-day chit-chat. Nate stepped over the hill, walking through the brush. As he entered the clearing, and was upon their campsite, he found himself facing three gun barrels aiming at him, "Whoa, easy…" Nate put his hands up, "I'm not a raider, I'm not trying to rob you."

"Forgive us for the paranoia, friend. But we've been robbed, attacked and some of us killed with almost every 'kind stranger' we encounter just wantin' to talk." One of the men, older than the rest with a graying beard and hair was the first to speak, "You wanna talk, but that there gun down on the ground. You do that, show us you ain't got any other weapons, we'll talk."

Nate looked at the eyes of the people that sat there. The older man looked at him, with a stern but calm eye. The two other young people travelling with him both had gentler, more frightened looks on their faces. Nate nodded, removing his gun and setting it on the ground slowly, then turned around to show he didn't have any other guns hidden on himself, "We good?" He asked, turning to look at the older man.

He nodded, "Take a seat with us, stranger. James, Holly, lower your weapons."

James and Holly both looked a little reluctant to agree with this order, but they complied. Their weapons were lowered. Holly placed her weapon beside her, but James kept a hand on his. He was eyeing Nate, with caution, not anger. Given what the older man said, they had a right to be afraid of him. No doubt the world had become a cruel, harder place to live than what it was 200 years ago.

"So what's your name, stranger?" The older man asked, continuing to prepare the food he had on the fire.

"Nate. Nate Davis. And you?" Nate asked him.

"Peter Benjamin. Folks call me Ol' Pete. It's nice to meet you. You seem like a decent enough man. More decent than what we've been runnin' across these days. But, you probably know a thing or two about what it's like out here," Pete chuckled, preparing plates, "We all do."

"You're wrong about that, actually. I'm not from here. A few hours walk from here, just back that way, is a place called Sanctuary Hills. Old neighborhood I used to live in. About 200 years ago. There's a vault just on the hill from it, I was frozen there when the bombs fell. Woke up a couple of days ago and everything's changed. I've faced my fair share of hardship, but nothing like this." Nate explained to him. Pete seemed trustworthy enough to reveal this truth about himself.

"Two hundred years frozen in a vault, huh?" James shook his head, "He's bullshitting, Pete. Bet he's a con-man, trying to get your pity or somethin' so you can give him caps or - or food, or whatever the hell he's gonna ask for."

"Well, I'm no con-man and I didn't come to this camp spot with any plans. But now that I'm here, I'd be more than willing to trade. I need food. Got a shelter just next to Sanctuary Hills. If you wanna follow me back, maybe we can work something out?" Nate asked.

"I believe you," Pete told him, "Excuse me friend here. Like I said, these two have been through quite a lot and so have I. They're worried, cautious, not very trusting on strangers they met on the road. Especially one's claimin' to be - heh, old pre-war relics that ain't ghoulified. But I'd be more than happy to travel with these two to your camp. If it's near someplace we can settle, even happier. This 'Sanctuary Hills' a good site for a camp? Maybe a place that can be a little more… Permanent?" Pete asked him.

"Yeah, I'd say so. Lots of buildings, and pretty isolated. But, there's a lot of debris and a lot of cleaning up that needs to be done." Nate cocked his head to the side, looking confused, "I'm sorry but… You said something I don't get. You said 'old pre-war relics that aren't ghoulified'? What do you mean?"

"Ghouls. Disgusting corpses walking and talking like they're human, but they're not." James was quick to answer this one, "And the ones that can't talk, well they just wanna kill you."

"Easy up, James. He ain't a fan of ghoul folk. Basically, after the bombs fell, some survivors were so heavily exposed to radiation, they're skin started peelin' off. Some people kept their humanity, but looked more like a walking dead man. Others, lost their minds too. Became feral, like wild animals. They attack and kill anything in sight, except each other. The reason I said pre-war relics that ain't ghoulified, is because for some reason, ghouls live forever. They're immortal. Which means, if you go and run into a ghoul, a sane one, more than likely, he could've been your next door neighbor." As Pete explained what ghouls were, Nate found it a bit difficult to wrap his head around the idea of it. How many were there exactly? And were they hated by everyone else as much as James hated them?

"Well, if I meet a ghoul, guess we'll have something to talk about." Nate chuckled.

Pete laughed a bit as well, "So, friend. Why don't you have a share of our food and then show us this Sanctuary you speak of?"

"Sounds like a plan." Nate smiled, glad to have run into fairly friendly people in the wasteland. First meetings with other survivors could've gone much worse. James was upset, and angry. Probably angry at the things that have happened, though Nate wasn't quite sure what. Holly hadn't spoken a single word, but at least Pete seemed to keep the two from losing their minds. Clearly, he was the voice of reason, the calmer, cooler one in these situations. Without him, Nate probably would've received an even less friendlier welcome.

The sun began setting by the time Nate got back to the Red Rocket Station. Fleur immediately greeted him outside, seeing the three others behind him, "Monsieur, you've returned! With… Guests. If I had food, I'd prepare you all dinner and tea! My apologies!"

"Two days in the Commonwealth and you've already managed yourself your own personal robot servant?" James questioned him once more, "Your story isn't making too much sense now."

"Give it a rest, James. If he wanted to kill and rob us, he probably would've done it already." Pete looked to Nate.

"Actually, Fleur here is my Nanny Bot from before the war. She stayed in my house in Sanctuary, waiting for the last 200 years. I managed to fix her up after finding her broken down and rusting away. Look, James. I know it's hard to trust me, I'm sure you've been through a lot. But I don't mean you any harm, all right? I can even show you the vault where I came from." Nate told him, though he hoped he wouldn't have to make yet another trip to Vault 111 just to prove a point.

"See, James? Quit your worrying. Now then, you said you needed some food. I was hoping to make you a better offer, but I'll give you two choices," Pete walked up to Nate, handing him some cooked meat wrapped in cloth, "You can take this. Make it last for however long you need to. Keep visitin' us up in Sanctuary to keep tradin'. Or, you help us establish in Sanctuary. Help me plant crops, tend the land there. Grow our own food. You can do the same here, we can be neighbors who help each other. Trade with each other. Make sure the other ain't dead." Pete clasped a hand onto Nate's shoulder, "Minus your lil' robot, you're all alone out here. Could use some friends, people to count on; trust. The Commonwealth's a dangerous place, Mister Davis. So, what do you say?" Pete held his hand out for a shake.

Nate wasn't sure whether to accept or decline. He wanted a good amount of food, and enough supplies to be able to leave Red Rocket Station with enough confidence to only worry about finding Shaun. Finding his son was all that mattered, it was what took priority. Diamond City was half a day's walk, if he could reach it, and seek help. But… Pete was right. He was alone in the wasteland, except for Fleur. While she could purify water, she could not hunt, she could not shoot, and she was only one. If he was going to survive, if he was going to find Shaun, he needed allies. People to trust and count on, as Pete said.

Nate shook his hand, looking Pete right in the eye, "Agreed. Thank you, Pete."

"It's what any decent person in the Commonwealth should do, Mister Davis." Pete let go of the packaged meat in Nate's hand, "Eat tonight. Save the rest. Tomorrow, early in the morning, the three of us will begin cleaning out Sanctuary Hills. At least, a section of it so we can begin buildin' a proper place to live. Hope to see you there. You rest easy, have a good night, both of you." Pete let go of Nate's hand and began to walk away, taking James and Holly along with him.

"Good night, I'll see the three of you tomorrow." Nate waved them off.

"Have a pleasant night!" Fleur turned to Nate, "Shall I come along tomorrow as well?" She asked him, "Or would you prefer I stay and watch the station?"

"No, you'll come along. Station'll be us working together will go a lot faster than four. Besides, the quicker we're done helping them set up a place to stay, the quicker I can get on the road to Diamond City. These are good people, I wanna help them. Plus, we get a good deal out of it. Hopefully it won't be more than a few days." Nate walked into the station, shutting the door behind himself as Fleur stepped through.

"Will we be going to Diamond City together, Monsieur?" Fleur asked, "I'd like to accompany you."

"I don't think so, Fleur. Think about it - It's dangerous out there. You said so yourself, they said so. The last thing I want is to lose you pointlessly. You're essential to my survival, but that's not just it. You're also part of my family, and I'd rather not see you damaged or broken." Nate said this rather casually, getting his bedroll ready as he set the packaged meat down. He noticed Fleur being awfully quiet, "You okay?" He turned to see her - She was simply staring.

"Oh, apologies, monsieur…" Fleur seemed a bit off, almost emotional, "It's just… I know I am essential to your survival. But I didn't expect to hear that other thing you said about me… Am I really a part of your family? I am just a domestic house robot, a Nanny Bot created by General Atomics for simple household chores… And I am a part of your family?"

Nate scoffed, walking up to her, "Of course you are. You helped take care of my baby, you did more for us than we would've felt comfortable asking. You waited for our return for over two hundred years without leaving the house. Programming or not, that sounds like a family member to me." Nate approached - He was unsure how he would hug her, so he simply put an arm around her circular, metallic body, "I appreciate you."

"Oh, Monsieur!" Her little arms went around him, pinching into his skin.

"Ow, okay, Fleur that hur-"

"You have no idea how much that means to me! All this time spent, terrified you'd abandoned me without a second thought all those years ago! For you to come back and tell me something as endearing as that!" She happily exclaimed, "I'm overjoyed to be a part of your family, monsieur! Overjoyed!"

"That's great, Fleur… I think you're cutting me." He said, feeling her little arms and the sharp points digging into his sides.

"Pardon me, monsieur!"

That night, after eating and having a drink of water, Nate went to bed relaxed. With the radio playing, and Fleur in the next room, he felt strangely at peace tonight. He'd met good people, and would be helping them establish a shelter the next day. Once they were done, possibly towards the end of the week, he'd begin his road to Diamond City. Things so far, were looking up. Even if his search had been delayed. But he reminded himself, as he began to fall asleep, that it was all for the sake of finding Shaun.

The following day, Nate had walked over to Sanctuary Hills once more. He hadn't planned on returning so early, but here he was again. Meeting with the survivors he'd found the day earlier, he spent the rest of the day working on establishing Sanctuary Hills as a proper settlement. Debris and trash were being cleaned out, anything broken or considered junk was stripped for parts they could use for building or repairs. It was hard, toiling work. But eventually, they covered up holes in the ceiling of one of the houses, and moved in their bedrolls. A cooking station had been set up, and they established a plumbing system that connected to the river. A water pump had been put into place, with the capabilities of filtering it. Even so, radiation may still be a problem. Fleur promised to, daily, use the water pump to also purify the water after its been filtered. At the end of the day, once things seemed in proper shape, Nate sat around a fire with the rest of the settlers and Fleur.

"So," Nate looked over to Pete, "Why caps?" He asked, "I only recently learned this, but uh… Why did caps replace paper money?"

Pete shrugged, "I weren't around when caps was first implemented as the newest wasteland currency. Might have somethin' to do with the fact they there's about a billion and a half of 'em just lying around, or still attached to bottles. I wasn't educated here in the Commonwealth, and my parents weren't the brightest. You come into this world, learning the way it works as a child, you accept it the way it is and don't act questions. There are bigger concerns to us than why caps are money. But, you ask me, I say go to Diamond City and ask one of them teachers or historians. Bet you they'll answer your question, easy."

Nate nodded, "I'll be sure to do that. Once I help get crops planted tomorrow. I'll be off to Diamond City. Do you know exactly where it is? It's downtown, I know that much for sure."

"I can mark it on your Pip-Boy's map, show you the general area but if you're lookin' in the city, it's as general as it gets. You'll find signs on every street corner pointin' to Diamond City, can't miss 'em." Pete reassured him, but leaned over and took a look at Nate's Pip-Boy, placing a marker down in the general area where Diamond City would be located, "There you are. Careful on your way there, and be even more careful once you arrive into the area. Place is crawling with raiders and super mutants."

"What the hell are super mutants…?" Nate gave Pete a questioning look, were mutants not ghouls? Was there some kind of mega feral ghoul?

"Super Mutants are - well, were human. Whatever happened to them, Institute testing if you ask me, made 'em into big, green monsters with huge muscles and tiny brains. They kill, kidnap and kill anything that isn't like them. They were human, once before. No idea if they breed or what - If there are female super mutants, I doubt you could tell them apart. They all have the same, brutish features and attitudes." As Pete explained, there were even more questions to be asked.

"Wait - Institute testing? What's the Institute?"

"Institute's a bunch of crazy, demented scientists. People say they live underground, performing tests on their fellow man and unleashing synths into the Commonwealth. Hmph… Biggest thing's got the Commonwealth in a tizz is the idea of synths. Y'see, there's been… Evidence. Of people being replaced by Institute synths. Robots made to look and act like people. Nobody trusts anybody anymore."

"You could've been more than a raider. You could've been a synth. Sent to kill us." James still had that look of distrust in his eye. But a scornful glance from Pete made him ease up, "But… You're not. And you're not anything - or anyone bad. I appreciate the help you've given us. Both me and my sister appreciate it." James but an arm around Holly, who'd been quiet for the last couple of days.

"I'm sorry, but-... I'm finding it hard to wrap my head around this." Nate looked up to the three of them, "You're telling me the world's full of raiders, and ghouls - fine, that's easier to believe. But… super mutants, the product of a group of scientists that are also replacing people with robots? Come on…" Nate found it all a little ridiculous, maybe it was Commonwealth superstitions and paranoia.

"Well, soon you'll see it for yourself. Hopefully you won't encounter any of those crazy killer robots on your way to Diamond City." Pete handed him a bottle of purified water, "Here, take as much as you need tomorrow too. It's a long walk from here to there."

"Why?" Holly broke her silence, her voice a raspy whisper as she looked at Nate with questioning eyes. She was a young girl, couldn't have been older than sixteen, if Nate had to guess, "Why are you going to Diamond City…? Why don't you stay here, with Pete and my brother, and just keep helping us? Wouldn't it be safer that way?"

"Hush, sis. It isn't any of our business what he's up to. If he wants to go to Diamond City, it's his decision." James, even acting coolly, had a look of surprise on his face. Nate wondered how long Holly had gone without speaking to James or Pete. She must've been through some kind of trauma.

"But -... He doesn't know. He doesn't know what it's like out there. He's from before the war, used to -... Used to a better life. You don't know, Mister Davis… The - the horrors you'll face out there. My parents… Killed by raiders trying to protect us. My brother, beat. They made him watch while - while they did things to me!" She cried out, clutching herself, "if it wasn't for Pete, we'd be dead!" Her voice was breaking, her eyes wide as she quivered in place, "Why go out there, mister…? Why not just stay here? Where it's safe…?" She had clearly just blown everything out. Everything she'd been storing in. James could only hold her, with a look of sadness and shame on his face. Pete looked to Nate, a somber mask on his face as he sighed.

"I'm sorry." Nate said after a moment, breaking the sad silence around them, "I didn't know any of that happened to you. I'm sorry." His eyes looked up, the three of them looking right back at him, "I have to. When I was frozen, I was woken up once to witness the murder of my wife and the kidnapping of my baby boy, Shaun. He was stolen, yanked away from his dead mother's arms and carried off. Once I was free of the pod, I came out. I have a mission. A mission to find my boy, and kill the man who murdered my wife and stole my son." Nate paused for a moment, "As much as I'd like to stay here, and continue to help. I can't. Finding Shaun is all that matters to me right now. Diamond City is the one place I might be able to find some kind of lead or help. The Commonwealth, this country, it's huge. I can't just blindly walk off in a random direction, hoping to find him. And I can't just give up, either. This is the best I can do right now."

Silence once more… But understanding faces looked back at Nate.

Holly slowly nodded, "Th-then… When you find your son… Come back to us." She said, a hopeful look on her face, "Won't you?"

Nate nodded, "I'll come back. Tonight we rest, but tomorrow there's some more work for us to do."

"That's right. We all need to get some shut-eye before tomorrow. Long day of plantin' ahead." Pete stood up, "Fleur, was it? Why don't you help me clean all of this up?"

"Of course!" Fleur moved to help Pete clean up the fire pit and plates. Nate stepped off to the side, headed back to the next house over, where one of his bedrolls waited.

"Excuse me, Nate?" James was behind him.

Nate turned to face the young man, "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for the way I treated you. You seem like a good man to me."

Nate chuckled, "Don't worry about it. After what you've been through, and the kind of world you live in, I completely get it. Safer to be untrusting of every stranger that comes across you."

"Yeah, you're right about that… Thanks for being so understanding. It's just been really difficult for me and my sis. Ever since our parents were killed and -... And everything else that happened that night, nothing's been the same. This is the first time I've heard her speak in the last couple of months. It's just… It feels good to meet someone kind for a change." James smiled at Nate, reaching his hand out.

Nate reached out, and gave him a firm handshake, "I'll see you in the morning, James."

"Yeah, you too…" James let go after a moment, turning around and walking back to his sister. He lead her inside of the dark house where they'd sleep.

Fleur warned Nate of coming across raiders and other folks who might want to hurt him or steal from him. James, Holly and Pete had both seen horrors in the wasteland that Nate hoped he'd never experience as well. But soon… The further on he ventured out, and more time that passed that he lived here, he knew he'd have his own share of horror stories as well. Even so, he felt rather fortunate to have run into these three. Tomorrow, once crops were planted, he'd leave them. But what he told Holly was true, he'd come back.

But he had some things to take care of first.