Nadia woke up sometime later to the dog licking her face. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around without moving her head. Where the hell was she? In a gutter. Great. She was sleeping in a gutter. Normally this would have mortified her, but what the hell was normal anymore, anyway? She was alive and that was all that mattered.

She sat up slowly, taking stock. She was alive, but she was definitely far from okay. It was dark out and she had no idea what time it was or how long she had been asleep. Before she could do anything besides locate her pack, which she somehow still had, the dog started growling.

"Not again." She groaned, looking around for the cause. The dog was getting frantic at this point and was tugging incessantly at her sleeve. She had no idea what she was going to do. She checked her supply of ammo and found she was almost completely out. Fuck. Nadia scrambled up as the dog tugged harder on her sleeve, pulling her in the direction of some neon lights. That's when she heard more growling. Dogs. They were being chased by a pack of wild dogs.

Nadia ran for all she was worth, which admittedly wasn't much at this point, following the pooch that had yet to steer her wrong. She could hear the strays catching up to them, though, and knew her strength was about to fail her. That's when she saw it. The neon lights were pointing to a door. She used to the last of her to strength to sprint towards those beautiful neon lights, wretched the door open and ran in. She slammed the door shut, hitting one of the pursing hounds in the face. Too close. She heard the door latch. It was a beautiful sound. She looked around, hoping she hadn't just stumbled into something worse. She saw some people milling around, but none of them looked immediately threatening. She took a deep breath.

"Let's get on with it." She whispered to the dog, petting his head.

She had only managed to take a handful of steps before she heard someone call out.

"Hey," a man in a dirty leather jacket call out, lighting his cigarette. "Hold up there. First time in Goodneighbor? Can't go walking around without insurance." He took a long drag of his cigarette, looking her up and down. Maybe she had been too optimistic.

"Unless it's 'keep-dumb-assholes-away-from-me' insurance, I'm not interested." She replied, the dog growling his back up at her side. She just wasn't in the mood and good sense had left her quite some time ago.

"Now don't be like that. I think you're going to like what I have on offer." He stepped menacingly towards her. "You hand over everything you got in them pockets, or 'accidents' start happenin' to ya." He lowered his voice, leaning in conspiratorially, "Big, bloody, 'accidents'."

"Whoa, whoa." She heard someone call in the distance. "Time out." Another man walked out of the shadows and headed their way. "Someone steps through the gate the first time, they're a guest. You lay off the extortion crap." The man said as he sauntered over.

She couldn't see the man's face, but his clothes were flamboyant and his voice was gravely. He walked with the swagger of a man that knows he's being watched, and likes it.

"What do you care? She ain't one of us," the extortionist retorted as her defender stepped into the light.

From under the brim of his tricorn hat emerged a face that, while still human, had obviously suffered severe trauma. He looked similar to what Amy had referred to as "ghouls," but not as crazed or, well, rotting. He looked more like a burn victim than anything. Being a nurse, she had seen all manner of severe injuries and deformities. While his was definitely the most severe she had ever seen on someone still living, she was used to showing no reaction and responding with medical detachment. She was glad of that now. This man was obviously coming to her rescue and she didn't need him to change his mind.

"No love for your Mayor, Finn? I said let her go."

"You're soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor." Finn replied. She knew right away that the man had made a mistake. Soft wasn't what she would call the man in the red frock coat. He looked anything but soft as he smiled crookedly at the extortionist.

"Come on, man. This is me we're talking about. Let me tell you something." Hancock said, walking closer. It was like watching a bug crawl unknowing into a spider's web. She watched in fascination as Hancock reached out to put one gnarled hand on Finn's shoulder, all the while pulling out a knife with the other. Finn never stood a chance.

It was over in two quick jabs to the gut. Finn groaned and fell to the ground.

"Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh?" Hancock leaned over the dying man. "Breaking my heart over here."

The Mayor looked up at her for the first time and her breath caught in her throat. There was something magnetic about his eyes. His irises were completely black, which maybe should have been off-putting, but it suited him. "You all right, sister?"

"I'm fine," Nadia replied. "The name's Nadia. Thanks for taking care of him." She stepped matter-of-factly over Finn's now dead body, extending her hand.

"Nadia, huh?" he wiped the blade of his knife off on a handkerchief, returning it from whence it came. He looked surprised to see her outstretched hand. About as surprised as she felt when he kissed the back of it instead of shaking it. She didn't expect his ruined lips to be a soft as they were. He straightened up, letting go of her hand. "Now don't let this incident taint your view of our little community. Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome."

"Yeah, I feel you." Nadia replied, not knowing what else to say.

"Good, you stay cool, and you'll be part of the neighborhood," he paused looking her up and down, "Nadia." He said, turning around to leave. He looked back over his shoulder, winking. "So long as you remember who's in charge."

Nadia didn't want him to go yet. He was only the second person she had met in this new world that hadn't tried to kill her, plus she was intrigued. She had always been drawn to confidence. That was one of the first things that had drawn her to- no. She needed a distraction or she was going to crumble right there on the pavement. Shut it down, girl. Not here.

"Mayor Hancock," she called at his retreating back.

"Too bad about, Finn. Gonna miss him next Super Mutant attack rolls 'round… Oh well, what can I do for our newcomer?" She made a note of the term, realizing that he must be referring to those hideous, green monsters that had nearly killed her.

"What's your story, Hancock?" Nadia asked the first question that came to mind. She just needed to forget her own story for a little bit longer.

"My favorite subject." The Mayor replied, coming closer. "I came into this town about… a decade ago? Had a smooth set of skin back then. While I was busy making myself a pillar of this community, I would go on these… like… wild tears… I was young…" he laughed, shaking his head. "Any chems I could find, the more exotic, the better. Finally found this experimental radiation drug. Only one of its kind left, and only one hit."

Nadia was genuinely curious, hanging on every word. She had always been the type to get lost in a good story and often used books as an escape from her problems. So far the only reading material she had found on her travels had been a Hot Rod magazine, but luckily for her the mayor was turning out to be just as interesting as one of her old mystery novels.

"Oh man," the ghoul continued, "the high was so worth it." He chuckled and a little shiver traveled down her spine. She could listen to his voice for hours. "Yeah, I'm living with the side effects, but hey," he shrugged, "what's not to love about immortality?" She could tell that there was more to the story than he was telling her, but as interested as Nadia was, she knew this man was dangerous. He had just stabbed a man in the street, after all. Probably best not to pry too much.

"You're immortal?" She asked, instead.

"Well… not exactly." He explained. "Ghouls just age really, really slow. Something about the rads, maybe? Who knows…" he trailed of, shrugging.

"You're a hell of a risk-taker, Hancock" Nadia laughed, shaking her head. It wasn't every day you heard a story like that.

"Only have one life, why not try it all?"

"Tell me more about this town of yours. Goodneighbor." She needed to all the information she could get. She needed help, honestly, but Nadia wasn't the kind to ask for it. She also wasn't the "damsel in distress" type, either, and she wasn't about to let on how desperate she really was.

"It's all about the people, understand? They're freaks, misfits and troublemakers, and that's why I love 'em." She could tell he really meant what he said, showmanship aside. There was a warmth in his voice that just couldn't be manufactured. She wanted to trust this politician, even though, in her experience, politicians were the last people you could trust. Had the world really changed that much, or was this mayor just the exception that made the rule? "Everyone here lives their own life, their own way. No judgements. Now, was there anything else?"

Nadia knew she couldn't take up anymore of Hancock's time, no matter how much she wanted the distraction. If she was going to provide for herself and her dog, she was going to need money-or, uh, caps? Who better to ask about a job than the mayor, right?

"Looking for work." Nadia did her best to look capable. She was dirty, bleeding and barely able to stand up… great time for a job interview, right?

"Looks to me like you need a doctor and about a week of sleep, doll."

"More like two, but who's got the time?" Hancock laughed, surprised smile lighting up his ghoulish features.

"I can tell I'm going to like you already." He looked at her appraisingly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Work, huh? Hmm… I'll tell you what. You get yourself cleaned up, get some rest and then come see me. I might have some reconnaissance work that you'd be perfect for. Now, why don't you head on over to the Hotel Rexford, sister? Sleep it off." He told her where she could find the hotel. "After you're all patched up, come find me here at the Old State House." He indicated the building with a jerk of his head.

"Thanks again, Mayor Hancock. I'll see ya in a few days."

"Can't wait, doll. Welcome to Goodneighbor." He said with a cocky wink, disappearing into the Old State House. Nadia watched the door close behind him, shaking her head slowly. That man sure was something, she thought as she and the dog stumbled the rest of the way to the hotel and relative safety.

Hancock smiled to himself as he closed to door to the State House. He wanted to get out of the street so that she could stumble away without more of an audience. He wasn't sure why the stubborn broad hadn't asked for the help she obviously needed, but, hey, to each their own, right? He hadn't gotten to where he was without being able to read people, and he got the distinct feeling that offering her help wouldn't have been received well.

He had to admit that he was impressed with the newcomer's spunk. It wasn't every day that a strange smoothskin walked right up and offered him her hand without so much as a wince. He had watched her reaction as what was left of his lips had touched the back of her pale hand. She had looked surprised, sure, but not at all repulsed. He found himself looking forward to their next encounter.

Oh brother, he thought to himself, chuckling. He could tell things were about to get interesting. About time to shake things up anyway. He pulled the jet inhaler out of his pocket, gave it a good shake and inhaled.