Several minutes after paying for a room, Hancock entered with a few beers , two cups, and a bottle of whiskey. "I was never a fan of the stuff myself, but this is what they had," he said and handed me one of the beers.

"Gwinette Stout. I used to drink these all the time before we got sealed in the Vault. I've always been a beer drinker. Well, beer and whiskey." Hancock popped a couple Mentats and followed it up with some whiskey.

"Whiskey and bourbon. And the chems. They were how I passed most of my time before I became a ghoul."

"So the chems aren't just a ghoul thing, then?"

"Not for me. I used to sneak over to Goodneighbor for the good ones. The ones here were always kind of weak."

"Wait, you used to live here in Diamond City?"

"Born and raised," he nodded.

"No wonder you know the streets so well. What made you leave?"

"McDonough."

"You were friends?"

"Something like that." His tone indicated that he wanted to drop the matter, so I didn't press him any further. "What was Sanctuary Hill like before?"

I looked up at him, startled by the question, to find him studying my face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's alright. It was nice. Safe. A good place for kids. And there were a lot of kids there. A lot of elderly couples, too." I paused, remembering the day that the bomb had gone off. "Most of them didn't even make it into the Vault that day. And I'm the only one that's survived from there-well, other than Shaun. But I don't even know where he is." I looked down at the golden wedding band on my finger.

"We'll find him, you know."

"I know. I'm just worried about what we'll find. And what the Institute did with him."

"You're too young to be so cynical."

"I was a lawyer. It was my job to be cynical."

"Lawyer, huh?"

"Harvard alumna."

"So Mentats don't really do anything for you."

I shrugged and finished my beer. "My father used to tell me that everyone had their own special gifts but I was special. I got two: a smart mind and a smart mouth."

Hancock laughed. "Sounds right."

"I get both from him." He probably would have liked Hancock, I mused as I opened a second beer. "He probably would have liked having you around."

"Not with this ugly mug," he grinned. But his grin had changed into something a little darker-more rueful. My face softened as I looked him in the eye.

"I don't think he would have cared. Neither do I, for that matter."

"You really must be crazy."

"I've been called worse things," I brushed it off casually, drinking more of my beer.

"What's on your mind?"

"I was just thinking about what you said earlier. About how you knew McDonough?" I paused and he nodded for me to continue. "How exactly did you know him?"

"Guy's my brother," he shrugged. "Things weren't as tough for us growing up. A little stricter than I would have liked, but I thought that he and I had had a decent childhood. Until he decides to run for mayor. 'Mankind for McDonough.' That was his campaign speech. Anti-ghoul. Before ya know it, you got families with kids lining up to drag folks they called 'neighbor' out of their homes to throw 'em to the ruins."

"So, wait, you two grew up together?"

"Oh yeah. Grew up in a little shack together on the waterfront. He was the typical older brother. Entitled, punchy-liked to slap rotten tatoes down my shirt and slap my back. But I never thought he'd be capable of something like what they did to those ghouls."

"I'm guessing it wasn't pretty."

"No. It wasn't. He managed to get the city to turn on the ghouls when he got elected. I should've killed him right there in his office when it went down. He was just standing there watching. He was proud. I begged him to call it off but he wouldn't, claiming it was the will of the people. He couldn't betray the voters." Hancock's face saddened, his eyes dropping to his glass of whiskey. "And then he smiled this hideous, fucking mile long smile. He never smiled like that when we were kids. I didn't even recognize him."

"You didn't recognize him?"

"It was like he was a totally different person. Didn't seem like the guy I grew up with. When I first heard the rumors that he had been replaced with a Synth, thinking back on that night, it made a lot of sense. But I dunno. I don't think I buy it. I've seen him since then and there's no way they copied him that perfectly. Even got his tightass walk. But at the time, I just needed to get the hell away from him and that damned city."

"They murdered those ghouls. I knew the guy was dirty, but I didn't realize he was that dirty." I wondered if Piper knew. I wasn't going to be the one to tell her. She'd have to figure it out on her own.

"I wasn't a ghoul at that point, so I didn't have to leave, but I just couldn't bring myself to stay in that cesspool after that. I managed to track down a couple of the families that had survived and lead 'em to Goodneighbor. But most of them couldn't get used to the lifestyle. I brought them food for a couple of weeks, but after a while, they just disappeared. Folks in Diamond City signed their death warrants. And all the good people were just willing to sit by and watch. I felt like I was the only one who saw how screwed up things were. I couldn't just pretend any more. Still feel that way. Or I did until I met you." I smiled at him for that, reaching across the table and giving his hand a squeeze. He caught my hand and held it tightly for a moment before pulling his hand away. "I know I run my mouth, but having someone who sees the world for what it is and is willing to do something about it-it's meant a lot to me. And I'm damn lucky to have you as a friend."

Maybe it was the two beers. Maybe it had been the look on his face when he said it-happiness, pride, fear, and a little sadness. Or maybe it was just being so close to him for so long: instead of answering him, I leaned over the table and pulled the collar of his jacket to bring his face closer to mine and kissed him gently.

He was staring at me in wide-eyed confusion when I pulled away.

"You're a good guy, Hancock, don't sell yourself short."

"What was that for?"

I smirked lightly at him, raising my eyebrows. "Friends? That's what this is?"

"You definitely take me by surprise, Rae. But now that you've brought it up, I have been having slightly more impure thoughts than usual. Maybe we'll get to...act on those. Heh. But I guess we should go get that kid out of that fight his buddy fixed up. After you."