The Lone Wanderer felt a chill creep up her spine as she entered the Lincoln Memorial and her fingers curled instinctively around the handle of her handgun. Though she knew that her father and others now occupied the building, the memory of the super mutants that once resided in the monument still haunted her. She sighed and closed her eyes to calm herself.

"Something wrong?" Charon asked from somewhere behind her.

Her eyes snapped open. "I'm fine," she lied. "I just thought I heard something." Not wasting another moment, she pushed the door open with an air of self-confidence and paused to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Her initial fear of entering the Memorial dissipated once she saw the groups of scientists and assistants absorbed in their work for Project Purity. A few stopped long enough to greet her while others, busy with their tasks, remained completely unaware of her presence.

"They could use a couple of guards here," Charon remarked as they climbed the stairs to the Rotunda.

It was rare for Charon to initiate a conversation, and Maria quickly jumped on the opportunity. "I've tried talking them into hiring a couple of Mercs," she said casually, "but they won't hear anything of it. Apparently they'd rather save the money then spend the extra caps on their own protection." She could barely keep her exasperation from surpassing the offhanded tone of her voice.

"At least they appear to be fixing the turret system," Charon said, as though he sensed the bitterness behind her words.

"Yeah, but a couple of extra guns wouldn't hurt," she answered and the two lapsed into silence as they neared the main operations of Project Purity. The hum of heavy machinery and the vibration of flowing water intensified in the Rotunda, and Maria smiled as the hair on Dogmeat's back bristled at the foreign sensory stimulations. Gently stroking the canine's head, it took only moments for Maria to spot her father who was deep in conversation with one of his colleagues.

He excused himself from the discussion once he saw her, and greeted his daughter with open arms and a bright, appreciative smile. "Hey, honey," he welcomed as he wrapped her in a hug. "It's about time you came back to visit us," he said as he released her.

"It's hard to get out here sometimes," Maria replied. He frowned and Maria felt a surge of guilt. He, like countless other parents, held the inexplicable power of extracting remorse from his offspring, a power which he often exploited to its full advantage. "But you're right," she admitted, "I should try to visit more often."

"Well, how long are you staying this time?" he asked. "A day? Two days? A week?"

"I really don't know yet," she said. "Three days, maybe. I'd like a chance to meet up with Harkness while I'm here," she fibbed. It felt wrong, somehow, for her to admit that she'd surpassed a chance to meet her father first thing for a chance to meet her lover.

"You're still seeing him, then?" James asked as he led his daughter to an area more suited for conversation.

"Of course," she said, and she seated herself on the chair he offered her.

"I've been hearing good things about him," James said, taking the seat across from his daughter. Charon and Dogmeat convened near them, far enough away to provide Maria and her father with privacy, yet close enough to provide rapid assistance.

"You've been investigating," Maria accused, but she grinned all the same. "I thought I already told you everything you needed to know about him."

"It never hurts for a parent to do a little bit of snooping," he chastised, "especially in areas concerning his or her children. Besides, he seems like a fine man. Certainly a step up from Butch."

"That he is," Maria laughed. It wasn't long before he began fussing over her safety and her health (she did look a bit peaky from lack of sleep), and he tried once more to coerce her into a longer visit. He was mothering her – they both knew it – but Maria didn't mind one bit. On the contrary, it felt nice to have someone who worried over her like a mother hen and she felt a sudden rush of warm affection for her father. She loved him, and she didn't tell him nearly enough that she did.

"Ok, ok," she relented with another laugh. "I'll stay longer, if it really means that much to you. But be warned: I won't hang about inside all day. I'd like to scout the area a bit more while I'm here."

"It's a deal," he said. "Just be careful out there, ok?"

"I always am," Maria assured him. Unsurprisingly, she spent most of the evening reassuring her father and distracting him from his constant questioning of her well-being.

Maria and Charon spent most of the next morning clearing the Memorial basement of a particularly nasty infestation of Radroaches. Though James did not expect her assistance in the problem, The Lone Wanderer nonetheless felt obliged to help the scientists in whatever way she could. Armed with flame-throwers and shotguns, the two exterminated most of the pests quickly, and without sustaining injury.

True to her word, Maria began quickly packing her weapons and changing into her best armor. She did not intend to spend her entire days lounging about in Project Purity "Do you remember that Super-Mutant camp we saw about three days ago?" Maria quietly asked Charon as she readied herself. The ghoul nodded and she continued, "I want to eliminate them, just like what we did with the Radroaches this morning."

"Are we going to take Dogmeat, or do you want to leave him with your father?" Charon asked.

"He's staying here. I don't want to risk him taking on too many out once," she said. "There's a good spot – north of the camp – that we can use to take them out from a distance. You're handy with the Sniper Rifle - so you go on and grab that - and I'll use this scoped Magnum that Agnes gave us. And here, take this Jet. You don't have to use it if you don't want to, but take it just in case," she rolled her eyes at the look on Charon's face. "I just said you don't have to use it!"

Maria kneeled until her face was level with Dogmeat's. "You stay here," she ordered as she playfully held the canine's head in her hands. "Stay here, and if you're a good dog I'll give you a treat. Who's my good boy?" she crooned, and Dogmeat licked her face and thumped his tail against the ground.

They only left when Maria determined that her father was thoroughly distracted, and therefore could not sway her exploring the Wasteland. While Charon and Maria traveled to the Super-Mutant camp, she felt a tingling inhuman excitement rise from deep within her. After months of fighting the mutated beasts, she developed an unbridled hatred for the Wasteland's most notorious killers. She witnessed the true capabilities of the monsters firsthand – from their cannibalistic tendencies and their primeval behaviors – and she wanted them to suffer for their transgressions against humanity.

"We should be close to them by now," The Lone Wanderer murmured to her companion. Her excitement only intensified as they drew nearer to the camp, and her breathing quickened with her steps. She and Charon stopped in unison, both suddenly aware of Super Mutants – two of them at least – speaking loudly as they approached the vengeful pair.

"Stupid men in shiny armor think they can beat us," said one, sounding very loud and very brainless. "But we show them. Stupid, shiny men now dead!" he triumphantly roared.

Quickly, Charon and Maria turned and ducked behind a pile of debris. "As soon as they round that corner," Maria muttered, "light those assholes up." Sure enough, within minutes the ogres rounded the bend, completely oblivious to their dangerous situation. There were four of them, three regulars and one brute, walking together and forming a tightly knit group. Charon and the Lone Wanderer opened fire immediately, unleashing a storm of bullets against the cluster of mutants.

Two mutants (neither wielding an actual weapon) advanced quickly, swinging their baseball bats and screaming profanities. They died first, their bodies riddled with bullets. The others died not long after their companions, though both carried assault weapons and were better equipped for an attack.

"That was fast," Maria said in surprise. "And there were only four of them. I swear there were more when we first saw them…."

"They were weaker too," Charon said. "I think something softened them up for us."

Maria nodded absently. "Let's see what we find in their camp." Weapons drawn, they approached the area cautiously. "Oh, no," Maria said, upon seeing bodies of fallen soldiers strewn about the camp, "Brotherhood of Steel?"

"No…" Charon breathed, stooping to examine the bodies. "Enclave."

"There are so many of them!" Maria said incredulously. "What on Earth are they doing way out here anyway?"

"I don't know," Charon replied and, for the first time (at least in Maria's presence), sounded vaguely fearful. "They usually don't stray too far from their base, though we have been seeing more and more of them lately.

The silence stretched between them, uncomfortable and heavy. "Let's gather what we can and get the hell out of here," said Maria breaking the stillness. "I've got a date tonight".

Author's Note: I didn't want this chapter to get too long, so I ended a bit early and a bit abruptly. Besides, I promised to break out of the "Maria Does Something Then Snogs Harkness Then Complains About Her Life" formula. So…. Harkness in the next chapter, yeah? And thanks everyone for the reviews I really appreciate it.

Oh, and the "I've got a date tonight" line? *cues the dramatic music* (lol)