A/N: Yay, another chapter! This one turned out way longer then I was planning on, but it worked out. I apologize for the wait again but the time between will get longer the lengthier each chapter is. Oops! I still really appreciate all the reviews. They always help out tons with the rough patches in writing. Let me know if you spot anything that can be fixed! Enjoy!


Fay watched Nick as he held up the hardware, turning it to the light shining from over head. "Look, kid. I might be made of their parts, but I know next to nothing about most of it," he said, setting the part down and frowning. "Let's think about this though. You say this is from his head? Anything that someone plugs into their skull has to keep at least some information from there. Maybe..." The synth stopped and rubbed his chin with that metal hand.

The sharpest mind in the Diamond City was literally turning his gears. Fay felt her nerves and muscles tighten up as he sighed and placed the part down with a click. "What is it, Nick? I don't like that look you have," she said and frowned.

He opened his mouth to speak up they both jumped as the door to the Dugout banged open and Piper strolled out, a huge grin on her face. Though it faded a bit when she saw the other two. "Well well. Old Nicky is here at last." A serious look settled over the young woman's features as she took in the tension. Her eyes locked onto Valentine's glowing yellow ones. "What do you make of this?" she asked, settling into the booth beside her friend.

That metal hand tapped the table beside the brain part. "As I was telling Fay, if Kellogg had this plugged into his head, it must have important stuff on it. Now, what's the best way to get a good look into someone's head, to see the past memories?"

Pipers eyes lit up and she slapped a hand on the table. "The Memory Den! Nicky, you genius!" He gave her a crooked smile and looked over at Fay. Her shoulders sagged a bit as some of the tension faded. It was something. As long as she had some trail to follow, one tail to chase, she could keep going. One step at a time.

"If you think it's worth a try, then let's do it. I'll head out tomorrow." She quickly pocketed the part. Back to Goodneighbor. If she was lucky, they could sneak in and out before anyone caught wind. A lump formed in her throat at the thought of confronting MacCready or Hancock again anytime soon.

"I'll go with you," Valentine rumbled, standing up and adjusting his fedora. "I've got an old friend there. They'll be our best chance of being able to do something." Fay nodded at him, letting out a long sigh.

"Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate it."

He stopped beside her, fleshed hand on her shoulder. "We'll find your son, Fay. Don't worry." And he was gone, that tattered trench coat trailing behind him.

Piper nudged Fay and grinned when she finally looked up at her. "Trust 'im. Nick knows what he's doing." She paused and drummed her nails on the table. "What are you going to do about the boys?" Fay just shook her head and cringed. "Gotcha. Won't even speak of it again. But if you want me to go along, just say, okay? And it's not because I want a scoop or anything. You're my friend. I want to help."

Fay felt emotion well up and hugged the other woman. "Thanks, Piper. I'll let you know."

"Now, I'm off to play cupid. Later, Blue!" She watched the reporter stroll off, the tightness returning to her chest. It was always that place, when everything came down to it. She couldn't stay away. She didn't know if she was ready to face MacCready yet again. The thought of seeing the hurt and pain on his face again made it hard to breath. Fay shook the thoughts off, forcing a deep breath in as she stood and wobbled from the alcohol still in her system. There was no point thinking about it. Just keep busy, stay as distracted as possible.

She slowly walked down the dirty, partially flooded streets of Diamond City, taking in the strands of lights and busy atmosphere. Even at this late of an hour, some shops were still open. John was still bickering with his mother, Moe and his obnoxious crowing on baseball bats, and Percy just popping out for the evening. The smell of noodles drifted through the whole marketplace, causing her stomach to growl. She hadn't really had a thing to eat yet today and the smell alone said, eat here! She slide into an empty stool at the bar beside a man in a heavy coat, nodding yes at the robot, and traded caps for a steaming bowl of noodles. Thankfully, they tasted as good as they smelled.

As she ate, the man beside her glanced over and back to his food. Then again, lingering a bit longer, though his eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. Why he wore those things in the middle of the night, she couldn't guess. She finished a bite and this time, when he looked over, she met his gaze with an annoyed look. "Do you have a problem?"

He gave a lopsided half smile and shook his head, pushing the edge of his hat back a bit. His teeth were oddly white and he was possibly the cleanest man she'd seen in the Commonwealth so far, with hair neatly combed and slicked back. "I suppose so." Her eyebrows rose higher as he finished his food and turned towards her completely, letting out a long whistle. "So, this is the famous Fay Jones. I've heard a lot about you."

"Do I know you?"

"Nooo way. I make it my job that people don't. Let's just say I'm a representative for an interested party. We...help people out of less then satisfactory situations and could use your expertise. If you're interested." He gave a small smile, almost smug. Her curiosity was peaked. It was the most vague proposition ever, but his appearance alone was making her want to find out more.

"It's gonna take a bit more then that for me to help you out, buddy," she said regardless, pushing her glasses up and putting on a fake annoyed look. "The last job I took with little to no information, I found myself inside a mansion where a guy made pieces of art from dead raider bits." The man's smirk disappeared, eyebrows lifted above his glasses. "So, who, what, where, and why? Or at least, maybe a name?"

He stopped and scratched his head, mouth pursed as he though. "Okay, fine. The best I can do is this." A holotape was placed onto the counter beside her bowl, the words RAILROAD printed in bold letters. The word seemed familiar to her. "Listen to this. If you're interested in helping people that really need it, then just follow what it says. And my name? It's, uh, Todd." His tone oozed dishonesty at the end and she could help but let out a half snort half laugh.

"Todd? You couldn't come up with something better?" This 'Todd' tensed up completely beside her then relaxed, all within a second. He covered the surprise up pretty well. She grinned and decided to pick on him a bit. "You're pretty bad for some sneaky spy type. You should use something better for this god forsaken wasteland. How about Carver? Double meaning. You could pass for a raider. You like to carve people up if they don't do what you want." Fay mimed a stabbing motion with her chop sticks and watched as it pulled a short laugh from him.

"You're weird," he muttered, leaning on the counter and gave her another half smile. "How do you know that isn't my real name? I could be very insulted right now. Maybe I'll just strangle you with one of those noodles."

"Just try it," she said and turned back to her food, still feeling his eyes on her. For once, it didn't set her teeth, bring on the wave of panic that was always ready to break her. Her own eyes kept watching him from her peripheral. He wasn't bad looking. Mysterious, snarky, and there at the right moment. "You wanna buy me a drink, Todd?" It came out almost a purr and she mentally cringed. Since when did she sound like some hungry prowling black widow?

Todd hummed, fingers grasping his chin in a dramatic long drawn out thought. Then he gave her a wolfish grin, leaning forward and into her comfort zone. "You want me to mix business with pleasure?" Fay fought down the urge to squirm and forced a coy smile. Even behind those sunglasses, she could tell his gaze was piercing. "It's like you read my mind. Let's go somewhere a bit more classy."

They both stood and he led her up into the stands and into what was the Colonial Taphouse, according to the sign above the door. The place was smaller then the Dugout Inn with a smokey, dimmer lighting set up. Only a few people were there, mostly at the bar nursing actual clean glasses of alcohol. Todd pulled out a chair with a flourish for her, pushing it in once she say down, then headed over to the bar. Fay watched him, feeling the normal doubt start to cycle through her head. This was probably a bad idea. This was a perfect stranger. Even worse then that, a stranger that was lying about his name or who he was even associated with. And here she was, batting her eyes for drinks like he was her sugar daddy. The clink of a glass in front of her pulled her from her thoughts, lifting her eyes up to see said man pull his coat off, wearing a beaten flannel beneath. She let her gaze drift taking in the muscles showing through the fabric as he tossed the coat over the back of his chair and sat down, lounging with his arm over the back.

Fay took a drink from her glass, blinking in surprise at the sweetness followed by the bitter after taste. Todd grinned at her again as she looked up with raised brows. "Nuka and Rum," he said, starting on his own. "I've got a bit of a sweet tooth and this is the best way to take care of it." He leaned back all the way, grin turning to contemplation. "Where's your partner? MacCready, right?" She choked on her drink in surprise, coughing as it went down the wrong way.

"H-how do you know about him," she wheezed, face red.

"It's my job to know. Though I won't lie in saying I did a bit of….extra research on you. You're a very interesting lady."

She looked to the side, biting her lip. No point in lying since he already seemed to know more then she was happy with. "He's not with me. We're doing our own thing for a bit."

"Oooh, lover's spat?"

"Lovers? We're not lovers!" she yelped, frowning at him. "He's just a good friend." Todd hummed and held his chin again. She felt her face redden more, the whole coy and seductive facade gone to the wind. This was not what she was expecting. "I came for a date, not an interrogation," she grumbled.

The hum turned to a chuckle. She could feel those eyes on her again, burning through the glasses. "Can't blame me for being cautious. I don't want some angry sniper boy friend barging in and trying to kill me." Fay shifted, guilt welling up. "Do you want to cancel this little date then?" She drained the mostly full cup in one go, gasping a bit as she slammed it down. Maybe it would be for the best to just back out now. She stood and took a step, standing to look down at him. He still had the grin on his face, like a cat with the canary in his tummy. The alcohol sent her head swimming, thoughts flooding together. Instinct mostly filled her and she leaned down and kissed him hard. It was a harsh, bruising kiss, all teeth and tongue. After a few moments, she pulled back, breathing heavily. His own breath was faster and he licked his lips. "Well. Definitely pleasure on your mind."

"You bet your ass, pretty boy," she said, swaying as all the drinks from the night seemed to all roll up into her head at once. The whole world started to spin a bit and all Fay could do was grin and tug at him. Before she knew it, they were back in her room, her hands pushing him back onto the dirty bed and pulling her shirt off. Both their glasses were crooked as they kissed again, she legs straddling his lap. She pulled back and squinted down at him, trying to make out his face, but everything wouldn't hold still. "Maybe you're better at this spy stuff then I thought," she muttered and struggled to stay up.

"I'm the best," he said and laughed as she fell to the side, laying limply. "You okay there?"

"'M fine." She struggled with her pants, lazily kicking at them to get them off, but gave up. "I wish everything would stop moving!"

Todd rolled over, holding himself above her, still with that damn grin she was starting to hate. She'd wipe it right from his face. But he leaned down and covered her mouth with his this time, nipping at her bottom lip and tugged her pants off for her. Her head lolled back as he moved down her neck, unclipping her bra and trailing his mouth farther down. It felt nice and she closed her eyes. She'd just rest them for a moment…


Banging on the door jolted Fay awake and she sat up, groaning as her head pounded. The room was a mess, clothes scattered about, alcohol bottles, and even an inhaler of Jet. She lifted the blanket hesitantly and sighed in some relief that her underwear were still on. Most of the night was a blur after that last drink. She'd gotten the two of them back here. But had they… She shook her head and stood as the door was banged on again. "Hold on!" she yelled, hopping around as she pulled her pants on, followed by her shirt. She yanked it open, a glare on her face to see a frantic Yefim, breathing heavily as he stood at the door.

"I need your help! They took him! That stupid idiot got himself kidnapped by those thugs from last night. I need your help to get him back, please!"

She held up her hands to stop him from talking more, closing her eyes against the bright lights behind him. "What are you talking about? And speak slower."

"A group of men came and took Vadim. They were angry about some money he owned them and that stupid plan he came up with. Please, go after them. I'll pay if needed!" The man looked about ready to fall to his knees and beg and she sighed.

"No, no pay, Yefim. Vadim is a friend. I protect my friends. Do you have any idea where they went?" He shook his head. "Fine. Give me a minute to get ready." She closed the door and leaned against it with a sigh. Just fucking perfect. With a hang over, not knowing if she just screwed a random guy, and having to travel back to Goodneighbor to face the dread of men all on her mind already, this was not something she needed. Fay let out a yell and kicked the nearest chair over, sending a holotape and a note to the ground. A deep breath in and out settled her mind and she shook her head. Crouching down, she squinted out the words on it, realizing it was the tape the man had given her yesterday. She shoved the note in her pocket for later. It would be best to hurry now. There was no way to know where Vadim was or how much trouble he was in.

She threw her hair up into a ponytail, not bothering with a braid, finished dressing and shoved her glasses on her face. Yefim was standing behind the bar as she came out, still a mite panicky as he wiped already clean glasses. "Can you give me a water, Yefim? My head feels like a horse tap danced on it." He gave her a bewildered look but gave her a can of purified water. Fay downed it quickly, the cool liquid soothing a bit of her headache. Now where to start with finding where these idiots are. "Are you completely sure you have no idea where these guys hide out," she asked the man again.

"No, no. Vadim dealt with them. I try to stay away. They make me nervous. Perhaps Travis knows?"

"Travis, the man that's scared of everything know where some thugs stay?" Fay let out a short laugh. "I doubt it but it's worth a try. I'll bring him back, Yefim. Don't worry." Outside, the sun was already past noon, heading towards sunset in an hour or two and she groaned a bit. How long had she slept again?! This was becoming a bad habit quickly. Once at Travis' place, she didn't even bother to knock, throwing the door open and glaring around. "Travis! I need to speak with you!" She finally locked onto the bed in the corner, eyebrows raising seeing the kid pulled away from Scarlet, the two obviously had been kissing. "Vadim's been kidnapped," she said, leaning against the door frame. "That guy from last night, uh, what's his name..."

"Bull," he squeaked out, sitting up straight.

"Yeah, him. Him and bunch of his friends dragged Vadim off. I need your help." Fay sighed and rubbed a temple as Travis laughed.

"You're kidding me, right?"

She glared at him again, crossing her arms. "Does it look like I'm fucking kidding?"

"Oh no…This is because of last night, isn't it? Oh god. My fault!"

"It's not your fault, Travis. Vadim just doesn't know how to keep his nose out of places it shouldn't be. But Yefim seems to think you know where they are. Do you?"

Travis froze, hands no longer twitching nervously. "I-I think I do. I've heard some things. But I'm going with you! I don't have many friends. If Vadim is in trouble, I want to help."

"Are you serious, right now? Where ever we're going, it's not gonna be fun. Most likely guns, blood, pain. You could die."

"Of course I'm serious." He stood up, taking a pistol from the filing cabinet beside him. "They're in the Beantown Brewery."

Fay clicked her tongue in thought then shrugged. "Fine. We'll just have to be careful." She glanced over at Scarlet. "Go tell Yefim and Valentine where we're heading." The girl nodded and Fay back out into the mushy path again. "Let's go, Travis."


Of course it was dark outside. Every time she was about to storm into an obvious raider hideout, the sun was on the other side of the planet. By the time she'd arrived at the brewery, Travis was a nervous mess, jumping at every sound. He'd already wasted two clips trying to take out a mole rat. It was a good thing she always carried extra ammo. Fay glanced over at the kid, sighing a bit as he swiveled his head around to look for anything threat. "You ready for this?" she asked, patting his shoulder.

"Not really but...I gotta do it!" he said, straightening up and putting on a determined face.

"Okay. One thing though. I'm up close and personal. So when you're shooting that thing, if you think that you might hit me in any sort of way, like the slightest hint, don't shoot! I really don't feel like picking bullets from my back." He nodded and she just shook her head. The whole situation was not going to end well.

Fay pushed the door open slowly, creeping in, and held a finger up to her lips at Travis when he clattered about. Stealth wasn't her best thing, but they could at least try. Just inside the way, she saw a person sleeping on a nasty mattress, snoring pretty loudly, actually. Easy pickings. She slide her way up, leaving the kid behind, and snapped the raider's neck with a sharp crack. Travis, of course, let out a strangled cry at the sight, gripping his gun with both hands. Fay shushed him and continued through, up the set of stairs and into the bottling room. The whole place reeked of yeast, piss, and unwashed bodies. Just from a quick count, she found at least six or seven of them scattered on the ground and on the cat walks above. She slipped back around the corner and grabbed Travis' coat, pulling him close.

"Listen. I'm gonna take care of the ones on the walks. I want you to take out the ones on the ground. Take your time, stick to cover, and for god's sake, don't shoot up." He was shaking in place, eyes wide. "Travis." He gave no response, staring straight at the wall beside her head. "Travis!" she hissed, shaking him, finally getting a reaction as he snapped her eyes to her. "You can do this. Just focus, keep a clear mind. Vadim needs you, remember." He slowly nodded at her and she let him go, giving him a brief, toothy grin. "Don't shoot until you hear me yell."

The stairs were unfortunately very well lit, she realized as she crept up the first flight. Thankfully no one noticed her on the ground and the walks were free of a patrol. Fay made she to keep an eye on the ground, watching as Travis cling to a large brewing vat and waited for her signal. At this point, she needed to drop the stealth. As frustrating as he was, she didn't want the kid to get hurt and the best way to achieve that would be for her to act as a distraction. Best to just go now.

Fay took a deep breath and sprinted up the last stairs, heading straight for the closest raider. The man let out a yell of surprise just as she landed her powerfist into the side of his head, spraying the area with bits of bone and gray matter. "Come and get me, you fuckers!" she screamed, kicking the body over the railing. Shots rang out from all angles and she ducked, crawling behind the sparse cover. This would have to do. Through the grating under her feet, she saw one raider go down and Travis slip up to take his spot, aiming steadily at the next one. She grinned, a bit of pride swelling in her chest. Looked like he was handling himself once it came down to it.

"God damn it, get out there and kill them, you useless pieces of shit!" Fay moved down more, seeing a small office on the other side of a rickety looking bridge, lights casting out a glare through the dark surrounding it. A huge man was leaning over the side, waving his rifle as more raiders ran up the stairs. Well, things were busy. She jumped from her place and ran over. Before the raider could do a thing, she grabbed his ankles and flipped him over, peeking over the edge to watch him hit the ground, neck at an unnatural angle.

Within seconds, more of the men made their way up and were coming at her. Fay let her instinct take over and dodged the first blow the closest raider sent with the butt of his gun. A quick hit from her fist crushed his trachea and sternum, and he collapsed. The next was able to fire off a shot, the bullet just missing her head. More bullets rained around her, one getting through and burrowing a hole through her left bicep. Fay clenched her jaw at the pain, letting the arm go limp, and took out another raider, hitting him the rips and crushing his torso. Only two left, but they were smarter, staying a good ten feet away, reloading their guns. She needed to take them out fast. If they hit her other arm, she was done for.

Before she could charge, one of the raiders fell with a gurgle, blood squirting from his throat. The other raider stopped reloading and crouched down, frantically looking around to find the shooter. Not being one to let a good distraction be wasted, Fay charged, kicking the man in the face, sending him onto his back and the weapon skittering away. "Where is Vadim?" she hissed, pinning him to the ground with a foot on his chest. All he did was shake his head, panting heavily. "Ah, fuck this. I'll find him myself." The powerfist crushed his skull with a crack and she flicked the gore off it.

Breathing heavily, Fay looked around. Travis was making his way up the stairs to her, but she didn't see anyone else. There had to be a sniper around here. That shot came from the same level as them and Travis' dinky little pistol wouldn't be able to do that type of damage. Once the kid reached her, she held up her hand to stop him from speaking and motioned him to follow her into the office. It was empty except for a tied up Vadim. The man perked up when he saw her then surprised when he saw Travis. "You came! I didn't think anyone would. How did you rope Travis into this?"

Fay gave him a grumpy look and stepped behind him, cutting the ropes off. "I didn't do any roping, Vadim. He demanded to come along." She sat on the edge of the desk as he stood and rubbed his wrists. "You're his friend just as much as mine and he has every right to come here and rescue your unlucky ass." Vadim blushed a bit then dug in his pockets.

"I am sorry, my friends. I did not plan on this happening. Very unlucky. But these raiders are very stupid! Left caps and chems laying every where. I took while they didn't look." He handed her a heaping handful of caps and an armful of Buffout. "Thank you, Fay!"

Travis gave her a small smile and turned to leave, but she stopped him. "How are you holding up? Any wounds?" He shook his head, seeming steady and calm for once. "What's going on in that head? This couldn't have been easy."

"It put a lot of things in perspective for me," he said, face taking on a very serious look. "There's no point in getting so worked up and scared over talking on the radio. I mean, just in the past two days being around you, I've gotten into a bar fight and broke into a damn raider base to rescue someone. The fears before just see...trivial." He shrugged, fiddling with his pistol a bit. "I do appreciate everything you've done to help though. I'm glad I can count you as a friend now." Fay couldn't help but break into a huge smile at him. Travis was just so cute and innocent.

She hugged him briefly then nudged him towards the door. "Be careful heading back, you hear? I'll see you later." Once he was gone, she slumped forwards, resting her elbows on her knees and clasping her aching head in her hands. One day. All she wanted was one day to herself where she didn't have to fight, be it physically or verbally. This wasteland was too brutal for it. Everything was a battle.

"How do you always manage to get into so much trouble?" Fay jerked her head up, breath catching in her throat as MacCready stood in the doorway, rifle in hand. He looked tired and beaten, with a black eye and a busted lip, but stood straight with a stern face.

"RJ? What are you doing here?" She pushed off the desk, starting to walk to him, but stopped. He wasn't supposed to be here. She'd told him not to follow her! "You were the one that sniped that raider," she said, holding her hand over the wound on her arm as it throbbed. "Fuck, why does no one ever listen to me! I told you not to follow me," she ground out, hissing as the hole throbbed more. The sniper walked up and grabbed her hurt arm, holding it out to get a look. Fay tried to jerk away but he wouldn't let go and she growled as the pull only managed to make it hurt more.

"Hold still and let me see it, Fay," he said, tugging the fabric away to examine it. "The bullet is still in there." His eyes met hers, deep dark blue to smokey green. "Sit."

"Like hell I will. I don't need your help." Everything in her head said to just do what he asked, but she refused. No, fuck that. He wasn't her boss and she wasn't just going to bow over, especially when he ignored the one thing she said to him last.

"Why ya gotta give the kid a hard time, doll? Just let him fix you up before you bleed too much." This time she froze completely as Hancock stepped in, shotgun in hand and also sporting a colorful bruise on his cheek. She numbly sat down, looking between the two as RJ pulled her sleeve back and pulled tweezers from his pack.

"You're both here? Okay, I must be in the Twilight Zone," she said weakly, putting her free hand to her face. The bullet came out quickly before she even realized anything, only jumping a bit and yelping at the stimpack injection. The wound knitted up quickly and RJ stepped back, standing beside the ghoul. "Why are you here?"

The two looked at each other and back at her. "We talked things over," RJ said with a shrug.

Hancock just laughed and tapped the bruise on his face. "He means we beat the shit out of each other. It was a good show." Fay slapped a hand to her face, sighing. Of course they would do that. Men never changed. "I'm gonna go wait outside," Hancock said and slipped out, leaving RJ and herself alone. The tension in the air was almost immediate.

She folded her arms under her breasts, the panic starting to coil up and constrict her chest. She wasn't ready for this. No time to prepare how to approach the subject or brace for the hurt. "I'm sorry," MacCready said, sitting beside her on the desk. She moved over a bit, making sure to leave a few inches between them.

"I'm sorry too..." she managed, looking away and biting her lip. "I-I need to tell you something. I really don't want to but-"

"You don't love me." She looked up at him and saw the sad acceptance on his face.

"No, I do! Just...not the way you want me to," she managed, eyes tearing up. "How did you know?"

The man laughed a bit. "It dawned on me while I waited for the teeth Hancock loosen to settle back into place. What I feel for you...it's not what I thought. I've been lonely for so long and you've been the only person to show me any semblance of kindness. I latched on to the thought and took it places it shouldn't have gone. You're my best friend, Fay." He held out his hand and she took it, lacing their fingers together. "I don't want to loose you over me being stupid."

"It's not stupid, Robert," she said and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I do love you, you dolt. But you're more like...a brother. To be perfectly honest, you're a lot like my little brother."

"You had one?"

"Oh yeah. He was a pest. Always stealing my things, pulling my hair, scaring off my friends and any boys I liked." She laughed a bit at the thought. "We didn't get along very well until after I left for college. Once I was pregnant, I think he was more excited about being an uncle then I was about being a mom." Fay relaxed completely, a small smile on her face. "You gonna stick around?" She asked quietly after a moment. "I know that you want to see Duncan."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to help you find Shaun." He paused, gritting his teeth. "I'm not gonna lie, it won't be easy for me to back down completely. I can't just stop feeling the way I do, but I'll try." She nodded and he forced a smile. With that, he stood up, pulling her along with him. "Let's go get Hancock and head out."

Fay stopped and checked her Pipboy. It was late, a bit past midnight. Not prime time for traveling. "No, we should stay here for the night. Even if we leave, the only place close enough to rest at is Diamond City. And they won't let John in." The sniper nodded in agreement. They made their way down through the left over carnage and now darker lights of the building, finding Hancock lounging in a molded office chair by the door, lit cigarette dangling from his lips. He lazily turned the chair around to face them fully.

"What's the way, doll? We headin' out now?"

"Nope. We're camping out here, mister. After that, we head back to Goodneighbor." She paused next to the ghoul, watching as he sat up and groaned as his back cracked. "Don't worry, old man. I found a nice bed you can have." All he did was grumble as they cleaned the room near the entrance of bodies, flipping mattress' over and coaxing the fire back up.

Fay leaned back on her hands, cross legged on her own bed and sighed. This was not how she'd pictured her day ending. She watched as MacCready pelted tins of Mentats and Jet at the ghoul, knocking his hat off and causing him to curse at the mercenary. Though it stopped once he realized it was chems raining down on him and just pocketed it all. Soon enough, Hancock was then throwing boxes of InstaMash and cans of Cram over the fire and managing to nail the younger man in the side of the head. And then chaos erupted as more objects were grabbed and thrown across the room. An inhaler of Jet landed on her lap quickly followed by a tin of Crisps. "Boys!" she yelled, causing them to both freeze. "Seriously? What are you, twelve? Quit it."

MacCready flopped onto his back and groaned. "C'mon, boss! Let us have some fun."

"Not when it's food we should be eating that you're tossing around. Should know better then that. Specially you, Hancock. You're almost twice his age."

The other one grumbled and popped a Mentat. "Why you gotta bring up the age thing again?" Fay just laughed and stood, the Jet in her hand. Hancock eyed the chem, a glint coming to them as he grinned. She glanced over to see MacCready turned over and settled for sleep. "You want company?" he asked, standing too and stepping closer. She nodded and they both slipped back up to the bottling area again, sitting on a conveyor belt together.

Fay took a hit from the red plastic and passed it to Hancock, sighing as it slowed her thoughts down to an almost manageable level. "So, how'd you guys find me?" He breathed out his own hit and it curled into a white cloud of fog. The temperature had dropped in the past hour, the cold finally setting in. Now that they were outside the cozy fire, it cut right through her thin and holey leather jacket.

"It wasn't hard. Diamond City is the only place to find old Nicky. Mac found him fast enough and got word you'd ran out to rescue another poor sap, as usual." He looked over as she shivered a bit, wrapping her arms around her self. "C'mere." His arm was over her shoulders and he tugged her against his side. The body heat he gave off was more then enough to warm her through. She slipped her left arm around his waist, snuggling close. Everything was quiet aside from the hiss of the inhaler and their breath. For the first time in weeks, Fay completely relaxed and let her mind empty. It was a wonderful feeling. After a few more minutes, Hancock broke the silence. "Why'd you leave?" he asked, voice quiet, almost a whisper.

Her head fell back against his shoulder, giving her a better angle to watch him. The ghoul looked just as bad as RJ, if not more. Tired and beat up, literally. What was she supposed to say to that? He'd offered to leave everything, his town and people, behind to help her find her son. And as soon as things got confusing, she'd ran. How did you explain that to someone? Her heart ached at the thought of him hurting. Not answering his question, she reached up and ran a finger over the side of his face, light over the bruise. He leaned into her touch, a sigh escaping at the gesture. "I'm not really sure, John. I guess the easiest thing to say is, I was scared. I have two good men, offering to lay their lives on the line for me. Men with people that depend on them to survive. It terrified me to know that if I fucked up, you could die. I don't want that. And with everything else, the emotions, I panicked." She paused and closed her eyes, letting her hand slide to her lap. "I'm sorry."

The arm around her tightened. "No one's gonna die." She could feel him shift, suddenly lifting her across his lap. She blinked up at him, a bit confused but stopped as he leaned close and pressed his forehead to hers. "I don't think you realize how pissed I was when you ran."

Fay laughed softly. "Judging by the nice colors on both your faces, pretty mad."

"Yeah, well, he started it. Nothing does a soul better then a good fist fight." A pause and a deep breath. "Am I the only one feeling somethin' here?"

Her mouth opened and closed a few times, words not coming out. There was, she couldn't deny it. His presence alone was enough to sooth her nerves but send everything jumping at the same time. A source of determination but also a distraction. He was always at the edge of her thoughts and her insides squirmed when he smiled just for her. She lifted a hand to run down his cheek, feeling the dips, the contrast in textures, the warmth and smiled as his arms tightened. "Yeah. I don't know what it is, but it's there," she said, feeling her heart beat faster. Their lips met and she sighed into the kiss, slipping her arms around his neck. It was gentle, which surprised her. He normally dove into anything with gusto, devouring and taking all she could give. But this was...careful. She pulled back and pursed her mouth at him. "What is this? Treating me like some fancy braud? Are you going soft on me, Mr. Hancock?"

He raised his brows at her, a toothy grin stretching his mouth in return. "Excuse me for tryin' to woo a lady for once. Now, if you want to go and challenge me, you won't win. There's nothing that's soft about me, love."

She laughed and slipped from his lap, taking a step back while facing him. "I could tell. Now, let's go back and get some sleep." Hancock stood, stretched, then swooped forward to grab her in his arms again.

"Oh no, you're not getting away from me. I'm wasn't finished!" Fay squeaked as he walked her backwards until her back hit the brick wall, hands on either side of her head. Those long fingers plucked her glasses from her face, stowing them in his pocket before he kissed her again. His tongue tangled with her, setting her nerves on fire and she threw herself into it with just as much passion, nipping at his lips. Reaching to the tips of her toes, she clung to his jacket and groaned a bit as he slide a hand down to cup her bottom, lifting her higher. He broke away and trailed a line down her neck with his mouth, drawing quiet sigh. "Goddamn, you feel fucking good," he growled against her skin, other free hand slipping under her jacket and shirt to trace her back. A shiver ran up her spine at the feeling. He moved back up, about to kiss her again when she put a hand over his mouth to stop him. Even with all the excitement, she could still feel how tired she was. Not to mention, she didn't want to end up fucking on the dirty floor of an abandoned brewery.

"No more, John," she said, catching her breath. "As nice as this is, not the best location nor the best time." She smiled as he nipped at her fingers until she moved them.

"Fine. But I'll make sure to continue this later." His voice was low and raspy from the kiss and it was almost enough to make her change her mind. He let her slide down slowly, drawing a frustrated grumble from her as each button and groove rubbed against her breasts.

"Tease," she said, snagging her glasses from his pocket and putting them back on. The combination of Jet and lust made her walk back wobbly, drawing more chuckles from Hancock as he followed. At last she flopped down onto her mattress, laying on her back with her rubbery limbs spread, eyes closed. As she lay there, Fay couldn't help but smile. For once, things were starting to work out.


It was times like that this that he wished leather wasn't the easier form of protection to get in the wasteland. Hancock blew out a stream of smoke and watched as Fay walked up to Daisy's shop, leaving the kid and himself to wait on a bench. She still had those damn tight leather pants on and it made it so hard to not admire her legs. He smiled to himself as she started dumping all the shit she hauled around onto the counter, starting the long process of bartering caps for it. How such a tiny thing managed to be so strong, he would never know.

"Do you really have to stare at her like that around me?" MacCready grumbled and crossed his arms, a glower setting on his face. Obviously, he was still pretty sour about the whole situation, not that he could blame him.

"It's a bit hard not to. When you have a work of art like that, you have to admire it, man." He held out a pack of smokes, offering one to Mac. The younger man shook his head, staring at Fay himself with a face turning slightly red. Feelings die hard.

Much quicker then expected, the woman was walking over to them in a hurry, cheeks and nose pink from the cold and a new thicker coat wrapped around her. It was obviously too big, hanging almost past her finger tips. Like a child playing dress up. She stopped, digging around in her pockets to pull out handfuls of caps and hold them out. With a brisk tone, she said, "Here's your cut, boys. The salvage was a good haul. Though we could have made more if you'd help me bring some in..."

"Keep it," Hancock said, standing up and flicking his cigarette butt to the ground. Then he paused, watching Mac as he counted everything up and hurried off to Daisy himself. "Actually...go give it to the kid. He's sending it to the Capital, yeah? Add it to his haul."

Fay looked from her bag as she arranged it again and grinned. "Really now? Well well. Goody two shoes Hancock is passing out caps to all the sick children."

He clapped a hand over her mouth and leaned down glare at her with narrowed eyes. "Shut your yap, doll. I don't want something like that spreading around." She pulled his hand away, the grin still in place, and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before scurrying back to the shop. Maybe he was going soft. But ignoring a sick kid was just something you didn't do, no matter how bad it made you look. Plus it made Fay happy. He cringed a bit to himself as the thought popped into his head. He shouldn't care if some dame thought but...he couldn't help it.

Caps were exchanged quick enough and they made their way to the Memory Den. It was still dimly lit and scattered with pods, some being used. Valentine stood from his seat on a couch, eyeing both himself and MacCready with an amused look. Hancock just lit another cigarette and tried his best to look bored. That damn detective picked up on too many things. Fay approached with her normal warm smile. "Nick. I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long." He shook his head at her and put his hands in his pockets.

"Don't worry about it. Now, let's go have a chat with Amari." As they moved across the room, Irma cooed a flirt at the synth, which he returned, much to Hancock's surprise. Who'd a thought the clunker knew he way around the ladies. Downstairs, Amari was working on a terminal, glancing up at the sound of so many footsteps in her space. Hancock leaned up against the wall, letting everyone else crowd over by the doctor.

"Well. Look who decided to visit." Her eyes drifted to MacCready and she smiled. "How is your shoulder, Robert?" Mac stretched out his arm to show.

"Doin' just fine, Doc. You have a way with thread and flesh."

At last she honed in on Fay, the smile fading to a stern look. "It's never a social call when you come to visit, dear. What do you need?"

Fay hesitated, hands moving around in her pockets as her nerves began to surface. "I-I need you're help with something. Are you able to take memories out of a brain?" The doctor frowned, shaking her head.

"No, no, we only allow clients to see their own memories, not store or allow others to view them. What are you trying to do now?"

Valentine stepped forward, giving off his serious hardened detective vibes. "We've got a dead man with some important information in his head. I know it won't be easy, but we need your help getting what he's hiding in there."

"You're crazy," Amari clipped, standing to shake a finger at them. "You want me to defile a corpse by prying open some man's head? Not to mention these machines need a living brain to do anything!"

Fay stepped up too, her hands clasped out in front of her, almost pleading. "Please! He's the only one that knows where my son is! Kellogg is the only person that had any information on the Institute."

Amari froze, eyes lighting up. "The Institute? This man had information on the Institute?! I...I will try what I can." She paused as Fay nodded, pulling out the hardware and holding it out to the doctor. "This is not a brain, my dear..."

"I know, I'm sorry, but during the struggle...well, his head isn't in one piece anymore. But this stood out to us. We thought it was important," Fay said, glancing back at Hancock, a worried look on her face. It was pretty obvious she was starting to loose it a bit. The ghoul stood straight and strolled over, hands in his pockets as he stood close to her. She seemed to visibly calm down a bit. Without her signature braid, she gripped the edge of her coat like a lifeline.

The doctor turned the part over in her hands, those keen eyes looking it over. "The matter is remarkably well preserved. Let's see...ah, it's the hippocampus! And this must be a neural interface. He was storing memories in it without even realizing it. Perfect. Now, due to the Institute using the same architecture for the majority of their technology..." She locked onto Nick and the synth nodded. "Are you sure? This is a tremendous risk. It could do irreversible damage to you." Fay looked between the two, eyes widening.

"You mean you want to plug that into Nick? Oh, no. There's gotta another way! I don't what that mad man's mind to be anywhere close to another person!"

Nick put his hands on her shoulders. "Fay. It's fine." Her breathing started to pick up and everyone could visibly see her panic. The synth gave her a bit of a shake, face becoming stern. "You can't keep worrying about everyone like this. I'm an old man that's lived a long life. This is the least I can do." After a few moments, the small woman nodded, still looking like someone had kicked her puppy.

Amari pulled out a chair and gestured for the Valentine to sit down. He sat and for the first time ever, Hancock got to see him without that damn hat on as he removed it. The plastic was peeled back and as Amari began fiddling with wires and parts, the light in Nick's eyes began to flicker a bit. "Please, talk, Mister Valentine. I need to make sure there are no changes to your cognitive functions while I do this. How do you feel?" Fay grabbed Hancock's hand, holding tightly as she watched Nick with worried eyes. This was killing her to watch.

Nick cringed, eyes shooting about like he was trying to see something that wasn't there. "I-I can't really make anything out. Lots of static, flashes, a random word here or there."

"Just what I was afraid of." The doctor sighed, stepping back to pace as she thought. "Their encoded. Of course they would encode even memories. The information is locked. Perhaps..." She returned to her terminal, picking through files. "I suppose we could try this. If one mind isn't enough, perhaps we can try two." She looked at Fay. "We can load both of you into the memory loungers and run your cognitive functions in parallel. Mister Valentine could be the host and you can move through the memories to find what information you need." Hancock felt his stomach lurch at the thought. Fay climb into a synth's head? Much less Kellogg's head? Too much shit could go wrong.

"You've got to be kidding me. You want her to dive into his head and wade around in there? What if she got lost or-or I don't know!" MacCready burst out, cutting his arm through the air. "No way." He paced one direction and spun around to face them. "I'll do it!"

Instantly, the small woman changed. Her back went straight, jaw jutting forward, and that stubborn look took over. "No. I'm doing it." Fay met the mercenary's gazed with her own hard one and he visibly backed down, shoulders hunching. "I don't want you risking this, RJ. This is for my son and I...I feel like I'd have the easiest time finding anything that has to do with him in Kellogg's memories. Not to mention I hunted the man for weeks..." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hand squeezing Hancock's.

"You sure you want to do this, doll?" he asked, leaning down to almost whisper it in her ear, ignoring the angry sounds MacCready made. This was not something he wanted her to do but it was her choice. She turned her head, those dark green eyes cutting right into him. They had a spark in them he hadn't seen yet. Her mind was made. He swallowed thickly, throat drying and his guts doing a flip as he started feeling nervous. "Just be careful with...whatever you find in that metal noggin'."

"I will, John. Don't worry," she said, slowly letting her hand slip from his and sitting down in the pod. "Keep on eye on RJ for me. You know how he can be." And then the glass dome closed, closing her off from him. He regretted letting her in there as soon as it latched, watching her eyes close and face relax. MacCready immediately started pacing, grumbling to himself angrily.

Suppressing the urge to do the same, Hancock pulled out another cigarette, lighting it and watching as the doctor began typing away at another terminal. "You better make sure nothing goes wrong, doc," he said lowly, a dangerous tone in his voice. Amari stiffed and finally looked at her mayor for the first time since they'd arrived, turning pale. "I don't give two fucks about whatever information you want to dig up for your little Railroad. You do anything that would put her at risk and I'll make damn sure you won't live to regret it." She gave him a shaky nod, leaning farther over her terminal and concentrating.

MacCready stepped up beside him, watching Fay as she began to shift around in the pod. They shared a tense moment of silence before the kid broke it. "What's it like in one of those?"

"Like it was real. You get hurt in there, you'll feel it even after you step out." Mac stopped himself before another curse slipped out, turning to pace again. Hancock popped a Mentat and stuck his hands back in his pockets, settling down in a chair beside the pod. His legs were itching to move, fingers tapping with impatience. He couldn't take his eyes off her, watching the small twitches and movements over her face. All the thoughts in his head kept churning over what could possibly be going on in that machine, if Fay was hurt, all the shit that could be going down. Hancock mentally cursed himself. Why was he so worried? He forced himself to look away, frowning at the wall.

Maybe everyone was right. He was getting soft. Normally, he wouldn't bat an eye at someone like her dying. It happened every day; some weak sap getting devoured by the harsh land. Now, he cared, almost too much. The fact that he'd dropped everything just to follow her around said a lot. Sure, she was the only person to have a viable chance of finding the Institute, which would open up a hell of a lot of options. To quell the civil unrest of synth body snatchers and bring trust from his people back was reason enough. But it was more then that. Even if she didn't have her little fingers in all those pies, access to plenty of resources, and her silver tongue, he'd still have gone with her. Ignoring that fact she was a bombshell, there was just something about those eyes, the way her smile made him forget everything he'd done to fuck up. She didn't care about his past mistakes, wasn't disgusted by his face, and actually respected him. Even the thought of it took his breath away. Fuck, he was in deep shit.

A muffled scream ripped him from his thoughts and he sat up, slapping his hands on the pod. Fay was sobbing, twisting from side to side and he punched the glass with a growl. "Amari, what the fuck is going on?!" Mac was beside him as well, hands holding his rifle, butt first and ready to smash it.

"Calm down, Mister Hancock! It is just a bad memory. She is not hurt," the doctor snapped, tone reedy as she typed furiously at the keyboard. "Please refrain from hitting my equipment, both of you! You might distracted her. We are very close to the information we need."

"Like fuck I'll calm down. Hurry up or I'll get her out myself!" Throwing away all concept of coolness, he shoved past the mercenary and prowled the perimeter of the room, popping a few more Mentats to try and sooth his frayed nerves. After a minute or so, Fay's crying subsided, leaving only the low hum of the terminals and electronics spread around. All it did was rile him up more.

At last, Amari let out a shout, a grin on her face. "Of course the last memory would have any relevant information! I'm pulling them out now." Both pods opened with a hiss. Valentine was up almost right away, allowing Amari to remove the hardware from his head. "Take it easy for a bit, Mister Valentine. There may be some...mnemonic impressions left over. Run some diagnostics, make sure to scan everything. I don't want you to have anything left from that man." The synth nodded, unsteady on his feet as he stumbled up the stairs.

Tuning out the others, Hancock knelt beside the pod, hands a death grip around the edge as he watched Fay wake slowly. Her face was wet with tears, leaving streaks in the fine layer of dirt, and more fell as she blinked slowly. "How you doin' there, doll?" he said softly as her eyes found him. She opened her mouth to answer, but all she could manage was a chocked wheeze before she hid her face in her hands with shaking shoulders. He clenched his jaw as MacCready leaned forward and pulled her out, crushing her to his chest.

The woman managed to speak after a few moments, though muffled as she pulled away from Mac. Her eyes were red and puffy but she'd composed herself, jaw set again. "Sorry about that. I'm...I'm good now." Holding back from going to her right away, he watched as she gathered herself up and began to speak with Amari. "Teleportation." She turned to look at each person in the room. "The Institute moves their agents around through teleportation." Both Hancock and MacCready looked at each other in surprise.

"Correct," Amari added, drawing attention. "How they are able to do it, who can say. We obviously don't have the technology or knowledge to make use of it. But." The doctor pulled up another file on her computer. "There is one other thing we can use. According to the last memory, Kellogg was given an order to track down a rogue scientist. Somehow, one man managed to escape and they desperately want him back or eliminated."

"I remember reading about a target he was tracking, back in Fort Hagen," the ghoul spoke, crossing his arms to keep from fidgeting. He kept his eyes on Fay, wanting badly to just take her hand, which he could see shaking under the too long sleeves of her coat.

"Yeah. I'm hoping that if this Virgil can leave the Instutite, then he can help us get back into it," Fay said, lifting her Pipboy up and putting in coordinates.

"The only issues is where his location is," said Amari, turning from her computer. "The Glowing Sea." Hancock clenched his jaw to stifle a curse. Really? Send a tiny smooth skin like her into that hell hole?

"Aw, fu-are you serious?!" MacCready snapped, turning to pace yet again. "Who in their right mind would even go near that place, much less hide in it?!"

"That much radiation can act as a very efficient deterrent. Not to mention how it blocks signals and broadcasts that could try to pinpoint anything," Amari cut in. "It's not the best lead, but it is the only one you have."

Fay bite her lip and toyed with her sleeves. "What exactly is this Glowing Sea?" she asked, looking up at Hancock.

He sighed, pushing his hat back. "It's where the bomb hit. A massive area of super radiation. It'd be like a day on the beach for me, but you...well, you'd fry up within minutes if you went in too far. No one goes near it or lives in it." He locked a hard gaze onto the doctor. "What options do we have?"

"Chems. Rad-X and lots of RadAway would help some. You could also try a hazmat suit. Or better yet, power armor. I know there are different types of coatings you could put on it that would block out most of the radiation. It's also best for protection, which I'm sure you'll need." Amari paused, sighing a bit. "I wish there was more I could do."

Fay shook her head and gave the woman a weary smile. "No. You've done more then enough Amari. Thank you. Please, let me know if there is anything you need later on." They both nodded and his partner slowly left, MacCready and himself trailing behind. She stopped outside the building, running a hand over her face. "I know what you're going to say," she said, holding up a hand as MacCready opened his mouth. "I just need to take a bit to...process everything. RJ, go have a drink, find a job, or just find something to do."

"Are you sure, boss? You know how you get after something like that," the mercenary said, trying to take her hand, but she stepped back.

"One hundred percent sure, RJ. Plus, I need to have some trade talk with Mister Mayor here. Daisy had some correspondence from Preston on setting up routes." Hancock raised a brow at her comment, ignoring the angry look the younger man gave him. "Don't even. Just go enjoy yourself somehow, okay?" Mac grumbled and stomped off to the Third Rail.

Trying his best to be casual, the ghoul slung an arm over her shoulder, leading her to the State House, a bit of swagger in his step. "Business now, eh? Nice cover, doll." Her elbow met his ribs and he laughed.

"I'm serious on this one, John. I really do need your help to set up some trade routes. You know the area around here best and I want to make sure any supplies we send actually make it," Fay said, stepping through the door as he held it open for her. "Preston is already training up a few people so they'll be ready to protect the brahmin, but if you can send someone half way to help lead them back, it'd be a better deterrent for the super mutants that like to hole up." Her voice trailed back to him as they went up the stairs, though he ignored most of it, watching her very nice ass from below. "Plus, I'm sure Fahrenheit wants to add her two cents on things. She is acting mayor and with a tactical mind like hers, she'd be a huge help as well."

Hancock kicked the doors shut behind him and she stopped in the middle of placing a map on the coffee table, looking up at him. He never closed those doors. Fahrenheit wasn't here, thankfully. They needed a moment, just for the two of them. It was easy to see that she was still shaken from whatever that machine let her see due to the babbling. He aimed to fix whatever it is she was working over in the head of hers. She straightened up as he stepped close, her hand reaching for her braid that wasn't there. "You gonna tell me now?" he said quietly, tugging the band from her hair and watching it fall down over her shoulders.

"Tell you what?" she asked, looking down at the map instead of at him.

"You saw something you didn't like in the damn machine. What was it? What did you see?"

The hesitation as crystal clear as she pulled away and sat on the couch, Jet pulled from her pocket. "Nothing important. We got the information we needed, Mister Hancock." She took a long hit, breathing it out and sighing.

He could feel the agitation build at her terrible evasions. And since when did she use that shit so much? Hancock snatched it from her hand and tossed it over his shoulder, grabbing the couch on either side of her head as he leaned down. "I'm not an idiot, Fay," he said lowly. The drugs took affect fast, her eye lids heavy and face relaxed but she still blushed at the closeness. He grabbed her chin when she tried to turn her head away again, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You really don't want to piss me off."

"You're always pissed off with me, John. Why do anything different now?" she mumbled, eyes drifting to the side again.

"I get pissed because you do this! You won't let anyone help. God damn it, just let me in," he demanded, swallowing thickly when she still refused to look at him. "Stop being so self righteously stubborn, woman!"

Those hazy green eyes snapped back to his and she frowned. "I'm stubborn? Look who's talking! This is the man that I had to pry any insight from with a fucking crowbar. If you're allowed to run away, then so can I!" He pulled back, hurt from the comment tightening up his chest. Fay sat up, following him, stabbing a finger into his chest. "You want to know what's going on in my head? Fine! I'm tired! Of this world, the terrible nature of things, how the people treat each other." She stopped to take a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I try my best to help, I really do. I want to make this a better place for Shaun to live in. But it feels like I'm doing nothing. All I do is drag the people that are actually making a difference into shit, complicate things." Fay pulled at her hair, moving away to pace the room. "I saw Shaun in Kellogg's memories," she whispered after a minute, stopping to look at him. "He's ten, John. Ten! I've missed a whole decade of his life..."

Hancock hissed out a breath. That explained a lot. "He looked so much like his father… But before that, it… It was the vault." She hid her face in her hands. "I had to watch Nate die again, but it was by my own hands! Oh god, how could I do it," she wailed, starting to slump to the ground. He moved around the couches, grabbing her shoulders and holding her up.

"That wasn't you. Kellogg killed your husband, Fay. Don't you dare think otherwise!" All the woman could do was shake her head through the crying. "Look at me," he demanded, giving her a shake. Once she finally lifted her head, glasses fogged up a bit from her crying, he felt his heart lurch in his chest. God she was beautiful. He carefully removed her glasses and wiped the tears from her face. With nothing in the way, her eyes were just even more captivating. He took her face in his hands, leaning down close. "I don't know what ever gave you the idea that you're not doing any good out there, but you are. You're a fucking godsend. Do you think anyone else would be able to set up so many settlements, much less ones that have ghouls, synths, and humans all working together? You've saved more lives them I can even count. I wouldn't stick around if you weren't doing so much good." He stopped as she blinked slowly, eyes widening with surprise. "Maybe you should hear it more often. You are the best thing to happen to this place, to happen to me, Fay, and don't you think otherwise. We're going to find your son and make this a place to raise him. Not on your own, but with everyone. You've got tons of people that are willing to lay down everything to help you just as much as you have them, so take it." He ended his little speak, breathing heavily as the emotions swirling in his head pushed his heart into overdrive. He was going to make sure she understood!

Her mouth opened a bit, her expression completely awed at his outburst. It almost made him feel self conscious as she looked at him like that. "Wow," she said, letting out an airy laugh. "That's quite a spill there, Mister Hancock. It almost sounds like you care." Even a wet emotional mess, she managed a quip. He let out a frustrated growl and kissed her, tasting the salt and always present sweetness on her lips. His hands slipped into those long black locks, relishing the softness. Her lips gave to his almost instantly, allowing him to nip at her lips and twist his tongue with hers. It was impossible to hold back the groan as he moved his mouth down, tugging on her hair to pull her head back, allowing him access to that long column of her throat. The taste of vanilla was even stronger, covering up the sharp tang of radiation from everywhere else. He had to have her. It had been months since he'd first gotten to taste her and he couldn't take it anymore.

Fay held onto the labels of his coat as her legs weakened from the kiss, panting for breath. Dear lord, he was a sight. His eyes were bright with need, voice deep and the rumbles sent her toes curling. Using their height difference to loom over her, making her feel so tiny.

"You are going to be the death of me," he rasped out, backing her into his desk. She felt him reach around as he pushed everything off with an arm, lifting her up onto it. "Of course I fucking care! More then I should, more then I have for anyone else!" With creeping fingers, she felt the roughness of his skin that peeked through his shirt, whining when he growled and took her hand in his. "And you're right. I do run away. My whole life has just been running. First from Diamond City and my family, then leaving Goodneighbor with you. Even turning into a ghoul was just another attempt to try and forget all the shit I've done." Her thoughts cleared a bit from the hot haze, focusing on Hancock's face as he spilled his heart. "I knew what that drug would do to me. I wanted it. I-I was tired of seeing the face of a coward every morning when I woke up. The face of someone that did nothing, just let people die and be abused as he hide behind chems and women. But when you stepped into my town, dishing out justice looking like some wasteland angel, something changed. I don't know what, but I needed it. Helping you, getting out there and doing good for those that need it, feels right. I haven't felt like I've belong in so long. And I belong next to you."

His words hit her hard and Fay felt her heart throb. This poor man had been through so much and yet even with it all, he still managed to try and make a place for people to go. For all his telling her she to realize the good she did, he needed to open his eyes and do the same. "John," she whispered, laying a hand on his cheek. "You poor, sweet hypocrite. You should have nothing to be ashamed of. You did what you could to help people, more then anyone else could or would do." She let her hand slide down from his face, neck, stopping on his chest, right over his heart. "You have a good heart." Her legs slide up over his hips, pulling them closer together. The heat shot through her and they both let out small noises of pleasure. "Not to mention the best looking man in the Commonwealth. I haven't felt anything like this since Nate and I'm not letting it go."

"You sure you want to wake up to this mug every morning?" he breathed, hands gripping her hips tightly.

"I wouldn't have any other there, you dolt." The grin that split his face sent all the heat right to her lower half, causing her to pull him even tighter against her.

"As hot as it is to watch you two roll around on the furniture, I really appreciate it if you'd get the fuck off my desk." Fay sat up with a squeak, looking over Hancock's shoulder to see Fahrenheit standing in the doorway, a hand on her hips and eye brows raised.

John just let out a lot groan and hide his face in her neck. "Give me a break, Far. I was just about to get some!" he mumbled loudly, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Get it somewhere else," the redhead snapped, crossing her arms. The ghoul pulled away reluctantly and helped her down off the desk. Fay blushed as Fahrenheit ran her eyes over her, trying to straighten out her clothes and hair. Of course she looked like she'd been ravaged.

"Sorry, Fahrenheit," she managed, watching as Hancock pulled out a cigarette and lit it, somehow managing to look relax and casual after everything. "Before…that, I did come here for a reason. I wanted your opinion on some ways to handle the trade routes out to here." The older woman nodded, settling down on a couch. Ignoring the hot gaze her partner had on her the whole time, she began to go over everything. There was always work to be done.