*Author's Note: Also new content. Because I needed more flirty cuteness n_n.*


"The Slog? Not the most encouraging name I've ever heard. Makes me feel tired."

"Slog: to work hard over a long period of time," Rose replied idly, as the abandoned rec center loomed up in front of them. "Also to hit someone forcefully and repeatedly, by the way."

"I like that second one more."

Rose rolled her eyes, but was quick to hitch a smile onto her face as she spotted settlers coming out to meet them. Only a couple of them carried rifles, and even then they held them loosely at their sides. All of them were ghouls.

"You know, I think I heard about this place once," Hancock mused. "A farm run entirely by ghouls… similar idea to Goodneighbor, but probably with a little less violence."

"I know that voice," the foremost ghoul said as he walked up to them. He squinted at Hancock. "John McDonough? Is that you?"

Hancock brightened immediately. "Wiseman?" He reached out to the shake the man's hand and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Shit, it's been how many years? Last time I saw you I was still wasting away in Diamond City. Thought you were dead, brother."

The ghoul gave a dry laugh. "No, the Commonwealth hasn't claimed me yet. Though you're looking a little worse for wear… heard you went ghoul a few years back, but I thought it was just rumors."

"Decided it was time for a new look." He released Wiseman and stepped back. "The name's Hancock now, by the way… haven't been McDonough in a long time."

Wiseman snorted. "Don't blame you." His black eyes slid over to Rose, as though noticing her for the first time. "And who's this?"

"The name's Rose; I'm with the Minutemen," she explained. "The folks over at Tenpines Bluff sent word to us that you might be interested in joining up."

"Did they, now?" Wiseman crossed his arms and smiled. "Well, why don't you two come inside and you can tell me more about it?"

He led them in through the fence, waving at the others to let them know everything was okay. Rose cocked her head as she got close enough to see inside the swimming pool; it was filled with tarberry plants, as well as a couple of settlers who were busy tending to them.

"Tarberries?" she asked curiously. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone who's managed to grow them before."

"You like it?" Wiseman asked proudly. "Best tarberries in the Commonwealth, right here."

"That's pretty ingenious, actually," Hancock commented in admiration. "Bet you guys corner the market on Berry Mentats too."

Wiseman winked. "I was wonderin' when you were gonna ask me about that."

Wiseman proceeded to give them a brief tour, and explained his plans to make the Slog more than just a refuge for outcast ghouls; he wanted it to be a destination open to everyone in the Commonwealth. Rose was enthusiastic about the idea, and before the sun had set they had mapped out plans to connect the Slog to the minutemen's trade lines. He and Hancock continued to talk long after that, catching up on the on the past few years. Rose gathered from their conversation that Wiseman had been a friend of Hancock's back when he was still a regular human living in Diamond City; when McDonough began his anti-ghoul campaign to win the vote for mayor, Wiseman cut out of the city, having had the foresight to anticipate the mob that followed.

The visit went on long enough that Wiseman insisted they stay the night, to which Rose and Hancock both readily agreed.

"We've got enough spare beds to go around," Wiseman explained amiably, when they all began to yawn more frequently than they talked. "Men in the room on the left, women on the right. Not that I'd have any qualms about you two sharin' a bed if you wanted," he added, when Hancock gave him an arch look, "but there ain't a whole lotta privacy to be had here, if you catch my drift."

"Separate beds are fine," Rose replied, a little too quickly. "Thank you for your hospitality, Wiseman."

"My pleasure, Ms. General."


It was past midnight when Hancock finally gave up on sleeping. He stepped quietly outside into the chilly early morning air, intending to smoke a cigarette and then see how many hits of Jet it would take to finally make him drowsy enough to doze off. He blinked in surprise when he saw a figure lying stretched out on the concrete in front of the rec building. For a moment he thought that perhaps one of the settlers had hit the bottle a little too hard and had passed out before making it inside, but as his eyes adjusted to the dark he saw that it was Rose, reclined on her back with her eyes fixed on the night sky.

"You're going to freeze to death out here like that," he informed her as he took a seat next to her on the ground.

"I'm okay." She paused in her study of the constellations to glance over at him. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"Wiseman snores like a drunken supermutant." He grinned when she giggled. "So what're doing lyin' out here on the ground? Playing at being deathclaw bait?"

She pushed herself upright, shaking the dust and gravel out of her hair. "I was feeling homesick," she confessed, rubbing her arms. "So I wanted to come look at the stars. They're the only things that are still the same." She looked back up, and the sky reflected in her wide eyes. "I thought, if I concentrate hard enough, it could almost feel like I had never left my own time at all."

"Huh. That's pretty deep, sister." He took a hit off of one of the Jet canisters in his coat pocket, and tucked it back away when Rose declined.

"Just wishful thinking, actually."

She had tucked her arms in tightly around her middle, and was beginning to shiver as the cold air bit through her clothes. Hancock watched her fight it for a moment before he couldn't stand it anymore; he rolled his eyes and grabbed her underneath her arms, dragging her over against his chest.

"Hey!"

"What, you don't like cuddling?" he asked impishly. "You're shakin' like a junkie in detox, doll. There's no sense in freezin' that cute little ass off."

Rose wanted to object, but found that her complaints died on her lips as he pulled her back against him and pulled his coat over her arms. He radiated warmth like a space heater, so much so that she stopped shivering within seconds. She hadn't noticed before… though the only other time she had been this close to him was when she had been drunk, so it was no surprise that her observational skills hadn't been at their peak.

"We ghouls run a little hotter than normal humans," he explained. "Probably a side-effect of all those rads."

"Never cold, high tolerance to chems, no negative effects from radiation, all but immortal… is there anything ghouls can't do?" she asked, amused.

"Win a beauty contest. That's about it."

She gave him a small reproachful shove, but smiled all the same. His hands were resting just on top of hers, and his thumb had begun to idly caress the skin on the inside of her wrist as they talked; she knew he could likely feel her heart galloping along like a racehorse through the vein there. She could feel his own heartbeat against her back, strong and steady… and maybe just a little too fast.

She tilted her head back to look at him, but whatever question she had been meaning to ask was cut off when his lips covered hers. Her breath came in a rough gasp, surprise quickly giving way to that same yearning she had felt in the bar. Her back arched against him and she reached up to pull him closer; instead of the liquor, adrenaline pulsed through her, and it was nearly as heady of a feeling.

In the absence of his previous hesitation and surprise, Hancock was truly a skilled kisser; he claimed her mouth possessively, confidently. He cupped one hand around her throat, his rough fingers stroking her skin. His other hand slipped beneath her arm to trace across her ribcage. He followed the lines there for a moment, briefly exploring the topography of her waist and the curve of her breast, and then he dropped his hand down to caress between her legs.

At that, Rose felt her muscles lock up. His touch had been questioning, not demanding, and he pulled away the instant he felt her freeze.

"You okay, Sunshine?" he asked, brow drawn in concern.

She gave tiny shake of her head and bit down on her lip. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I-"

He brushed her hair back from her eyes. "Hey, it's okay if you're not ready for that yet." She tried to turn away, embarrassed, but he wouldn't allow it. "I'm never gonna push you to do anything you don't wanna do, you feel me? I ain't that kinda guy."

She pulled her knees up, hiding her face on her arms. "Fuck. You must think I'm such a tease."

"I think you're a woman who's made more than one trip to hell and back," he replied patiently. "You'd be superhuman if that didn't mess with your mind just a little."

She fidgeted, worrying the frayed hems of her sleeves. "It's just that no one but Nate has touched me like that in years. I wasn't really expecting for it to affect me… that way."

His fingers brushed her cheek before his hand settled against her back. "You don't gotta explain anything to me. I'm along for the ride no matter what." When she looked up at him, he winked. "You're the most fun I've had in years. And that includes the time I got high and broke into my brother's office to set a pack of molerats loose."

Rose couldn't help but laugh. "You did not."

"You could hear his secretary scream all the way down at the State House. Though I think my brother probably screamed louder."

"John Hancock, you are absolutely awful."

He shrugged in fake modesty. "I do what I can."

Rose shook her head, and then reached up to kiss his scarred cheek.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. She rested her head against his shoulder; with the adrenaline gone, she could feel her eyelids finally growing heavy. "No matter what happens… I'm really glad that your instincts told you to come out here with me, Hancock."

"Anything for you, Sunshine."