"Good morning," Amata murmurs as I stir, pressing a kiss to my temple.

I smile sleepily, winding my arms around her and snuggling my face into her shoulder. "Hi."

We don't bother getting up, too comfortable wrapped up in each other's arms.

Now that I'm awake, my mind starts wandering. I'm so content where I am that I consider never getting up. The thought of staying here seems nice, but then I think about all the people outside the Vault I'd be letting down. All the doubts from when I was thinking about this at the shooting range come back to me, wiping the content smile from my face.

I know I still have a choice to make: stay in the Vault with Amata or leave and return to the wasteland. The decision was hard enough before; it feels a billion times harder now that I know Amata returns my feelings.

Asking her to come with me is asking her to step out into mortal danger every day. I'm not sure I would ever be able to forgive myself for putting her in danger, much less if she ended up hurt.

Staying in the Vault, on the other hand, would always leave me wondering "what if" about the wasteland. I'd miss the freedom to be able to get up and travel out into solitude, and the fresh smell of the air.

The mere thought of actually leaving Amata again, regardless of whether I leave the Vault or not, almost makes me physically hurt. Almost without realizing it, I snuggle against her more securely. I'm sudden more afraid of losing Amata than I've ever been in my life.

"What are you thinking about?" she murmurs, tracing lazy patterns on my skin absently.

"You," I answer, honestly this time. I decide to, once again, neglect to mention what exactly I'm thinking about, because I'm just too scared of what could happen.

She smiles and kisses me gently. "You sap."

I grin back at her, shifting and resting my head on her shoulder. "You like me that way."

"Hmm," Amata hums thoughtfully. "Nope. I love you that way."

My smile grows and I let the banter push the distressing thoughts out of my mind. "And you call me sappy."

We share another kiss or two, and I let my mind relax again, just enjoying being with her once more.

After a while, Amata sits up and stretches, letting out a little groan. "So, what's the plan for today? Going to rescue someone else?" There's a teasing glint in her eyes and I smirk, swatting at her playfully.

"Nah. I haven't thought about it yet, actually." I snuggle against her, using her thigh as a pillow.

She laughs, running her fingers through my hair. "We could just stay in here and be lazy all day."

I let out a happy little sigh. "That'd be nice."

"... until Butch got curious and decided to come in here and bug us," Amata adds thoughtfully.

I snort and we giggle together for a few minutes.

"I love you," she sighs happily, her smile widening. "You know how nice it is to be able to say that?"

I grin, nodding a little. "I think I have an idea."

Amata laughs, kissing me gently. "I hate to interrupt the moment, but I have to pee."

I shift and let her get up, grinning as she starts for the door. "Hold up, beautiful. You might want to put some clothes on before the entire clinic gets an eyeful."

She turns bright red and quickly turns to get dressed. I snuggle back under the covers and snicker at her, yelping when she tosses a pillow at me on her way out of the office.

Without Amata curled up next to me, the room seems awfully cold, so I get up and begin to get dressed, too. By the time she gets back, I'm up and around, half dressed and trying to decide between wearing some armor or the wasteland clothes I'd worn the day before.

"I guess our lazy day is out of the question, then?" she teases.

"One more day of doing practically nothing is going to kill me, 'Mata. I have to do something before I lose my mind." Something has taken hold of me all of a sudden and I instinctively know that today is the day I need to go talk to the Overseer. The conflict can't last forever simply because I want to lay around snuggled up with Amata.

"Something?" she echoes, sounding confused.

I nod, turning and tossing her a distracted smile. "Yeah. I want to get things sorted out with your dad."

"Oh." Her voice is tinged with concern this time.

I hesitate, grabbing for my armor instead of the wasteland clothes. I'm worried that the Overseer will have adopted a "shoot on sight" policy and I'd really rather not die today.

Amata watches me strap the armor on, chewing her lower lip nervously. Once I've finished, she comes over to me and wraps her arms around my neck, looking into my eyes. We're both quiet for a moment, and finally she sighs. "Be careful. I don't want either of you to get hurt."

I smirk, shrugging my shoulders a little to draw her attention to the armor sitting comfortably on them. "S'why I've got this on."

She closes her eyes and exhales slowly, resting her head against my metal-plated shoulder. Worry is practically radiating off of her.

I swallow, knowing she's nervous because of me. There will never be a time that I don't hate being the cause of her worry. I cradle her against me, rocking her slightly. "I will, I promise."

Amata looks up, startling me with the tears in her eyes. "I just... I'm so scared for you. You barely escaped last time, and now you're going in there to confront him. You're still fighting for me, and now you're taking on one of the biggest battles of my life."

"I do that because I want to," I interject almost immediately. My mind fills with images of Amata being bullied and teased throughout our youth, and of course, is followed up by the memory of her dad ordering for her to be beaten. "I want to protect you. Seeing you hurt would break me, 'Mata, and I can keep you safe this way."

Her brow furrows and her chin quivers almost imperceptibly. "I don't..."

I lean down and capture her lips in a soft kiss. "It'll be okay. I'll be back before you know it." I give her another smile while disentangling myself from her.

Amata still looks doubtful and more than a little concerned. She doesn't move to stop me and watches as I pat my pistol to make sure it's in its place.

I head for the door, wishing I could say something else to comfort her more. Every assurance I can think up ends with either me or the Overseer dead or hurt in some way, so I bite my tongue. "I'll be back soon," I repeat with a gentle smile, slipping out of the office.

Everyone in the clinic is startled to see me in my armor, shrinking away from the foreign sight. I ignore them, focusing on what to say to the Overseer.

My feet walk the familiar path to the Almodovar apartment, leading me to the Overseer's office. Once I arrive, the door slides open just as it has so many times before. I step in and notice that the room is actually somewhat dirty; apparently with Amata gone, the Overseer let his messes pile up.

Surprisingly, the Overseer's office door is open and I step into the doorway to find him at his desk, his head resting on a fist. I almost feel sorry for him because he looks so broken. Not wanting to give him any mercy for everything he's done I force myself to remember him ordering that Amata be beaten. A hot rush of anger shoots through me and I clear my throat with a barely masked growl.

He jerks into a sitting position, his eyes narrowing when they rest on my face.

I toss him a snarky grin. "Miss me?"

A flicker of rage appears in his eyes. "What's the matter? Get tired of searching for your deadbeat father and decide to come back for your punishment?" A smug smile slides into place on his face; he knows that'll hurt.

I bristle at his dig. "Funny, it seems like you're the deadbeat. My dad went out into a deadly world and worked his ass off to make life easier for everyone up there. You, on the other hand, have hid in your little hole in the ground doing what's best for you, even if that means beating your own daughter! My dad died to protect what he believed in and to protect me. What good, noble thing have you done lately?"

The Overseer seems at a loss for words. After a silence that feels longer than it really is, he regains his composure. "The Vault has fallen into disarray, thanks to you and James." He says my dad's name like it's a foul taste in his mouth. "I've kept it unified as best as anyone can, protecting it from the outside. 101 must keep its citizens safe."

"Safe how? By kicking them out of their home into the wastes where they're sure to die? Sounds like a great plan to me!"

The Overseer slams his fists on the table and stands, glaring at me with a hatred in his eyes that feels like it could probably cause me to burst into flames.

"Letting in wasteland dogs like you isn't safe! You bring disease and discontent to the people of Vault 101!"

It's safe to say that I'm confused by that statement, but my hand goes to my pistol just to be safe.

"And if your bastard of a father hadn't been a slick talker, you would have stayed outside where you belonged! Instead, you came in and he wasted time and resources with his precious experiments. And you!" The Overseer is practically foaming at the mouth, he's so worked up. "You decided to wedge your way in and try to corrupt Amata! I did my best to protect her, and you-"

"Wait just a minute," I interrupt, burning mad now. "You're saying you protected her? You're saying I'm dangerous? I don't know if you're aware of this, but I spent half my childhood protecting Amata from all the bullies of the Vault! I made damn sure she would be safe and-"

"No one bullied Amata," he cuts in, apparently getting a thrill out of the irritation I display at being interrupted.

"No? Do the names Butch DeLoria, Wally Mack, or Paul Hannon ring a bell? All those guys used to harass her, make crude jokes, and pretty much anything else you'd expect those guys to do. They'd tease her relentlessly just because she's related to you. The only reason you saw me as the troublemaker of the generation was because I was always jumping in to protect her!"

The Overseer's face is rigid. "Amata would have told me." He looks like he might actually explode if this continues; a few blood vessels in his neck are standing out.

I shake my head and respond with an exaggerated casual tone, hoping to push his buttons a little. "Doubt it. She was too busy trying to impress her unforgiving prick of a dad that constantly made her feel unimportant."

His eyes narrow dangerously, and a split second later, he's on his feet, the 10mm from his desk drawer pointing right at me. I raise my pistol out of sheer instinct, aiming just above his left eye.

The tension is absolutely suffocating. We're both barely breathing, watching to see who'll shoot first.

I imagine pulling the trigger, doing something I have so many times before. The motion is almost second nature to me now. And yet, something's holding me back this time. I think about how much better off the Vault would be if I would just shoot him, but Amata's face pops into my mind. Her soft words, begging me to not let anything violent happen, echo in my ears.

I draw a deep breath and force myself to calm down. The more logical arguments I'd thought up begin to surface in my brain and I open my mouth to release them. "How safe is it, exactly, to keep your people cooped up in here? Whenever they do finally get out, they'll die of disease almost instantly because of their lack of an immune system. At least now, they still have a little bit of ability to fight off sicknesses from up there." I see a flash of pain in his eyes, but I ignore it and blaze on. "And depending on how long it takes to get out, how long will it be until everyone's sleeping with their brother? The inbreeding will kill everyone before they can even think about surviving outside."

The Overseer falters and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. He lowers his gun slightly, regarding me carefully.

I hold my breath as I wait for his reaction, praying to whoever's listening that he doesn't get violent. He's apt to shoot me point blank, whereas I realize I wouldn't go farther than roughing him up a little. Disgusting as he is to me, he's important to Amata. I can't bear to think about Amata's reaction to one of us killing the other.

A scowl forms on his face, and that gives me a tiny bit of hope.

"As disturbing as it is to admit," he says slowly, his eyes dropping to his desk for a moment before focusing on me, "You have a point. The stagnation will hurt us all in the next few generations, I'm sure." He drums his fingertips on his desk absently. "We simply won't survive another hundred years..."

I find myself able to breathe again, but I refrain from smiling.

He leans over and hits the PA button on his desk. "Attention all security, this is the Overseer. Cease all hostile interactions at once." He releases the button, giving me a stern look. His mouth opens as if he wants to say something, but he shakes his head and puts his gun back in the desk drawer..

"I'm stepping down from the position of Overseer. I'm sure you're aware that Amata will take my place. I hope she'll lead the Vault down a new, more beneficial path." For just an instant I can see a mixture of remorse and pride on his face.

He walks around me, leaving me alone in his office. I'm more than a little shocked that diplomacy actually worked with him; we've never seen eye to eye. I realize that he's probably going to tell Amata the news, and I try to picture her reaction. Then all I can imagine is him ordering an officer to beat her. I spin on my heel and run after her.

By the time I make it back to the clinic, the Overseer—former, I guess—is leaving. He gives me another calculating stare before walking past me and away through the Vault.

After the thumping of his footsteps fades, I take a few quick steps through the clinic, ending up in my father's old office. Amata is standing there, looking shocked. Her eyes flick to me when I enter the room, and she simply stares at me in disbelief. I take the seconds of her silence to look her over for any freshly forming bruises, unable to shake the haunting image.

"I can't believe it," she says, her voice yanking me out of my thoughts. "You actually talked some sense into him."

Out of habit, my eyes take in the scene, searching for signs of a recent scuffle. Finding none, I feel a wave of relief wash over me. "Told you I'd be right back," I tease weakly, all the fight having gone out of me.

Amata laughs, throwing her arms around me in a hug. Her lips brush against my cheek as she whispers a "thank you" in my ear. She releases me a second later and runs out into the clinic, announcing the good news to everyone. "We won!"

There's a split second of surprised silence, then the rebels burst into cheers.

I flop into my father's desk chair, listening as Amata excitedly informs the rebels of her new position as Overseer and how she hopes to start changing things. With all the energy I'd built up before the fateful visit to the Overseer's office, I'm surprised at how relieved and exhausted I am.

While Amata continues to talk to the other Vault residents, I tune her out, looking around the clinic and remembering happier times. I can almost see my dad giving me an exam and shooing me out the door to class. My eyes trace the walls, finding and lingering on the framed verse that's been there for as long as I can remember.

"Revelation 21:6," my father's voice whispers in my ear. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

I get up and walk over toward it, gently lifting the frame off of the wall and staring down at the verse that meant so much to my mother, my dad, and now to me. When I look up, I'm surprised to see what the frame had been covering: a small safe that I hadn't known even existed.

I set the picture frame down and turn to the safe, fishing a bobby pin out of my pocket. Out of curiosity, I try the safe first, but it doesn't open. Since I know I won't have a clue as to the code, I start picking the lock, managing to snap a couple of bobby pins and swearing softly before the door clicks and opens.

The first thing I notice inside is a holotape with my dad's doctor-scrawl on it. It's labeled "Home Sweet Home" and I make a mental note to listen to it as soon as I sort through the other things inside. There's a small bobblehead toy inside, along with a folded up blueprint of some sort. In the very back of the safe is a bag, and the moment my fingers close around it, I'm struck by the sum of caps that must be inside. Judging by the weight, it's well over 100 caps.

I close the safe up and lean against the edge of the desk, looking at the things my dad had hidden away. It's weird to imagine him putting the items in there, since I can't quite picture him alive anymore. A voice in the back of my head tells me that that's what happens when you see a loved one die in front of you. I brush the thought away, gathering the items and going over to my bag, tucking them wherever they'll fit. The caps go together with mine, making a satisfying jingle.

I've just plugged the holotape into my Pipboy when Amata darts back into the room and over to me.

"Come on," she whoops, pressing an excited kiss to my cheek as she grabs my hand. "Everyone wants to hear what happened!"

I reluctantly follow her out into the clinic, wishing there was a way to get out of having to give a victory speech, since I know that's what will end up happening. Public speaking isn't my thing; telling stories is fine, but having to act more formally is not anything I'm comfortable with.

When we walk out into the middle of the clinic, the air feels like it's buzzing with excitement.

"Go on," Amata encourages me. "Tell them what happened!"

I look at her uncertainly, not really wanting to talk about it and have Amata realize how close the Overseer and I came to attacking each other. The look on her face and the introduction she's given me come together and I know I can't escape.

"Uh, I went in and talked to him," I say uncomfortably, looking around at the expectant stares. "We pretty much just talked it out. It got a little heated, but he ended up realizing he wasn't doing you guys any favors and stepped down."

Amata grins and gestures to me proudly. "And because of her, everything's going to end up right!" Her eyes are shining with pride and she looks like she wants to jump around and scream with glee.

Everyone claps and I blush, glancing at Amata. She grins at me, swooping over and stretching up to kiss me.

The room goes quiet as she pulls away, still beaming up at me. The hair on the back of my neck is standing on end, my danger senses tingling.

The eerily silent room comes to her attention a second later and she falters.

"Ugh. Man, do we have to revolt again?" a voice says, and all eyes go to the speaker, Freddie Gomez. "I don't want the Vault to go to hell 'cause it's being led by one of THOSE."

No one seems to know what to say, all of us having been taken by surprise. Even more surprising is that there are a few assenting murmurs in the crowd of rebels.

A few people start whispering, and I step in front of Amata protectively. Embarrassing as it was for Amata to just up and kiss me in front of everyone, outing us all of a sudden, I'd forgotten about the issue with us both being girls. Up in the wasteland, no one minds. I'd forgotten that down here, people still clung to the pre-war attitudes, which is not good for me and Amata right now.

"Hey, lay off, man," Butch growls, moving over and glaring into Freddie's face.

They're nose to nose and Butch has a few inches on him, but Freddie still finds it in himself to snarl.

"I'm warning you, lay off."

"Why should I? They're fuckin' freaks, Butch!"

Butch gives Freddie a violent shove and sends him tumbling into the wall. "Watch your mouth, Gomez. You're more of a freak than they are. 'Sides, she just saved our butts!" He watches as Freddie starts to get up and pulls out his knife, playing with it threateningly.

Freddie looks like he wants to retaliate, but eyes Butch's knife and thinks better of it. He lets out a snort and looks away, turning red with what's probably a mix of anger and embarrassment.

Butch looks around at everyone else, apparently waiting to see if anyone else will challenge us. Then he tosses me a smile.

The air is still filled with tension as Butch and I stare everyone down. When I glance over my shoulder to check on Amata, I see her retreating into the office. I look back at the rebels, a little surprised at the hatred in most of their eyes. What makes it worse is that it seems more deep-seated than if it was solely based on the kiss.

Understanding smacks me in the face a moment later. My dad and I were the reasons the Vault went to hell in the first place. Even if I've just helped resolve the conflict that resulted, people still hate me for messing everything up. Appealing to their homophobic side isn't making it any better; if anything, it gave them an outlet to express their rage.

I swallow uncertainly, backing up to the office door and ducking inside. Even with all the venomous glares in my direction, I'm more concerned for Amata.

Amata's sitting on the cot, hugging her knees to her chest, forehead resting on them. I can see her shaking slightly and I'm not sure if she's crying or not.

"'Mata?" I call softly. "You okay?" Without really waiting for an answer, I go over and sit beside her, ready to offer comfort in any way I can.

"I'm so stupid," she mumbles, sounding a little teary.

"No, you're-"

"I wasn't thinking! I knew everyone would react that way! Don't you remember how everyone used to tease Paul because he was 'different'?" She looks up at me, her cheeks red and her eyes watery. She stares at me helplessly for a few moments before she looks away again.

"I don't... uh. Look, it doesn't help that you picked me to kiss." I shift uncomfortably. "They're not exactly happy with me in the first place."

Amata closes her eyes, sighs, and lowers her head. "I'm... can you just... leave me alone?"

"But 'Mata..." I rest a hand on her shoulder, surprised when she shrugs it off violently.

She lifts her head and glowers at me, pain flashing in her eyes. "Stop it."

My shoulders sag, and I feel somewhat like I've been stabbed. "I just-"

"I don't care," she huffs, wiping tears from her cheeks. "Just leave."

I don't want to, especially when she looks so broken, but I get up and walk out numbly.

Even though the Overseer called off his security guards, the ones I do see still jeer at me, telling me to go back to the wastes where I belong.

I'm in a daze. Everything seems to be crumbling around me and I can't do anything to stop it. Without realizing it, I end up outside the apartment my dad and I had shared, staring at the door. It occurs to me that I used to call this "home" but I haven't gone to visit it once since I've been back. Everything else has been too important.

I open the door and step into the living room area. The room's in disarray, looking much like it had the day I left the Vault. Memories reenact themselves before me and I watch them numbly, not really able to feel anymore grief for my father or our old life.

I enter my father's room next, only to find that he had pretty much taken everything when he left. There's nothing of his left in the room.

I'm drained enough that I want to collapse on his bed and sleep for as long as possible, but I'm struck by the sudden need to see my old room. I step out of my dad's room, turn around, and hit the button to open my old bedroom door.

When the door hisses open, I'm startled by the sight of someone there. My hand goes to my gun immediately, though I relax a little when I realize I recognize the voice.

"What the-" Wally Mack starts, his eyes narrowing when he sees it's me. "Oh, boy, are you in trouble."

I raise an eyebrow, wondering what kind of trouble he's foreseeing. "What makes you say that?"

"I mean you shouldn't have bothered to show your face in here again. You don't belong here, remember?"

I don't have a response to that and I sent my jaw as a proud look appears on his face. As raw as my emotions are, I really don't think I can handle dealing with Wally without something bad happening.

"Man, you should'a seen my pop," Wally says, throwing himself onto my old bed and stretching out. "After you and your wuss of a dad left, he ran out and started killing radroaches like there was no tomorrow. Then he got everyone back in order. It was awesome." He wrinkles his nose and looks over at me disdainfully. "But I guess you wouldn't know what it's like to have a hero for a dad, would you?"

Before I'm even aware of it, I've drawn my pistol and leveled it at him.

"Whoa, what the hell?" Wally yells, jumping up and backing away until he bumps into the wall behind him.

"Don't you ever talk bad about my dad, you worthless prick," I growl, my words filling with all the pent-up and anger and venom in my system. I click the safety off and hold the gun on him, getting a sick pleasure out of watching him sweat. After a few moments, I jerk the barrel toward the door. "Get out."

A look of indignation passes over his face. "Hey, hold up! I live here!"

"Get. Out," I repeat, starting to quake with emotion. I try to convince myself that I'm only furious, but I'm fighting a lump in my throat and I know I'm only acting so violently because the world seems to be crumbling around me.

Wally looks at my gun for all of two seconds before he bolts.

After his footsteps fade, I turn the safety back on and holster my pistol, sinking onto the edge of my old bed. I bury my face in my hands, drawing a shuddering breath. I don't want to start crying, but now that I'm alone, I can't stop the burning of tears in my eyes. I fight it off for a second, but a sob escapes me. Then everything else I've been holding back seems to burst forth and I'm bawling.