This couldn't be happening.

No, no, no.

Burke couldn't leave the tower. Not again. But it would seem that despite Burke's protests and his tireless work to allow for spare time for his beloved - the woman that haunted his every thought - Tenpenny was again sending him on a wild goose chase to some obscure town across the blighted nation.

Bursting through the doors to the balcony, Burke glared down at his superior. "I've had enough, Allistair. Why do you do this? I've worked years for you, never questioning you. Never allowing my own opinions to interfere with your wishes. And now, it seems that I am the only one making that effort. I only ask for a week, Mr. Tenpenny, yet you can't even allow me that!"

The guard outside of Allistair's room raise his eyebrows as he heard the very clear boom of Burke's voice.

"But you're missing my point, Burke! This woman-"

"How do you know about her?"

"Oh, Burke. I'm not as senial as you think. I can see infatuation when it is so obnoxiously evident. You need to see past this haze, Burke! And if I must force you away from her, so be it, even if she came to the tower in search of you."

Instantly, Burke's chest tightened. "S-she was here? Where was I?"

"Gone. As I had planned."

"Do you understand, Allistair? Do you understand what you've done? I can't live like this! With this constant aching, with this love!"

"But Burke, that is what I want you to understand; it is not love, and it is not fate, and it is not your destiny to be with her. Your work is so much more critical than a fling with some Wasteland whore."

And as the words left Allistair's mouth, he saw the change in Burke. A fist flew towards his face, and he knew what would soon happen. Allistair's head snapped back as Burke's fist connected. "You shut your god damn mouth!" Burke growled, and as soon as the rage had come, it was gone. "I... I'm sorry, Mr. Tenpenny."

Allistair wiped the stream of blood coming from his nose. "Quickly, Burke, get me a towel."

Burke stood still, his fist still balled. "Why must you seperate us?"

"It is a sacrifice you must make. Power cannot be held when someone rules you as absolutely as she does. And when these people finally realize the dignity that comes with civilization, they will need a leader, Burke. They will need you."

I can not live like this. Wanting you. NEEDING you! But unable to have you.

I'm afraid I must insist we cease this charade.

I beg your forgiveness. I'm sorry to have made you wait in that hell-hole for so long. Waiting for the summons to my side that never came.

Fly free my little love bird. Fly up and out of that filth.

I wish that I could have you, and the thought of another man getting to have you, breaks my heart.

But I'd rather you were set free, than waiting eternally for me. I'm growing tired of this burden of mine. This toiling away for humanity, building a new world for mankind. I'm not even sure they will appreciate all the efforts I am making for them. But it is a burden I shall continue to carry, because someone must. And I am a man of responsibility,

Good luck my love-bird. Fly free and be happy!

Your's truly,

Burke

Burke's shaking hand sets down the pen at his desk. He reads the letter again, and again. The words aren't enough; he will never be able to say everything he feels for her. He folds the letter delicately, precisely lining up each corner. And as he walks out of the door of his suite, he takes a final look around the room. It is prestine. The bed is dressed in some of the softest sheets in the Wasteland; it is not dank air that fills his lungs, but the fresh atmosphere that air conditioning provides. It is a life most Wastelanders would kill for.

As Burke straightens his tie, he knows that the letter in his hand will be the last contact with the only thing in his life worth killing for; he would damn the fate of civilization in a heart beat, damn the very building he stands in, damn the man he works for, to have her in his arms. But that will never be an option, and that will never be their fate.

His songbird - his life, his passion, his lust - will always transcend the limits of his reach. And that is the way it must be, for humanity.