Note: There are times when I don't even understand why I'm writing, ya'll. But Mama sees you reading. I'll keep writing.

Minor inconsistency fixed, sorry guys

Clara wasn't there to hear the talk that Mister Burke had with her dad, nor did she hear what Mister Tenpenny wanted to say; she was asked to tidy up her room for her father to sleep in, once they were done talking. She was excited that he would be staying with her, at first. But Mister Burke told her that it would be best to let him alone, to think on the offer he was going to be given from Mister Tenpenny. She would stay in his room, that night.

She was even more excited about that. Mister Burke had told her that he wasn't a young man. He couldn't provide the sort of attention that she might want, but, he would "certainly try to entertain her as best as possible."

"After all, my love... we've all the time in the world." He stroked her hair gently and smiled at her. Clara's heart pounded with the thought. If that time included more of what had happened last time―

She shook with want.

Her father tried to speak with her once he was done talking to Mister Tenpenny and Mister Burke, but Mister Burke pushed him into her room and took the keys from her. He spent another ten minutes in her room talking to her father, then locked the door behind him as he came out.

"You have blood on you," she pointed out, frowning.

Mister Burke looked down are his sleeve and tsked. "That is correct," he said, and made a disappointed noise. "Not to worry, my love. It's not mine."

"Whose is it―" she began.

"Shush," Mister Burke said, placing a finger on her mouth. Clara flushed and quieted, moving her lips against his finger in silent words. The feeling of his touch was addictive. She so desperately wanted him―and he knew she did. He ran his finger across her cheek and under her chin. He smiled patiently at her, and dropped his hand. "You have a one-track mind, Clara."

"Um―" she started, and looked down in embarrassment. It... wasn't bad. To be like that. She'd enjoyed herself, he saw to that. And he'd said himself that she was meant to be enjoyed.

"Come along, my love," Mister Burke said, and motioned her into his room.

Clara squeaked and followed, a happy smile on her face.

The night was surprising for her. Mister Burke had taken her virginity, but he was not inclined to have sex again so soon. Clara had tried to egg him into it as much as she dared, but he said he would rather she find another way to keep herself busy. This left her with nothing to do with herself, and she ended up annoying him.

He punished her for her annoyance. She'd put her hands on his knees, and looked up at him from the floor, sighing impatiently. Clara had never been good at keeping herself entertained. She'd always looked for Amata to hang out with... and later, she'd had Butch to keep her busy. She wanted for Mister Burke to entertain her, like he'd promised.

He made a threatening noise, and Clara jerked away in surprise. She realized she'd gone a little too far when he stood up suddenly. He dropped his book to the floor and seized her up, put both her wrists in one hand, then paused and appeared to be collecting himself.

"I warned you," he told her, angrily removing his sunglasses and staring at her. "I did say that I didn't want to have to punish you!"

"Please―" she said, and tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered Butch. "Don't hit me, I won't―I won't do it again―"

"Clara..." his voice was chiding. "You've already done it, how can I not punish you? I asked you to let me be, more than once. You should have listened!"

She sobbed, and he looked at her with amusement. "P-please," she said, again. Tears fell from her eyes, making her sight blurry, and dropped from her chin onto her chest.

"Love, if I don't punish you, how can you learn to be a good girl?" He moved her to the bed and began to undo his belt. "I have a feeling you won't be so... enthusiastic, once you've been properly educated." The sound of his voice made her want to run away, it was so promising of pain.

Clara could only cry as he pulled her clothes from her and tied her to the bed. "No noise," he warned her, and left her there. He walked away from the room, shutting the door behind him. He was gone for a very long time, long enough that she started to feel sleepy even though she was cold and naked. She did fall asleep; when he returned he slapped her ass so hard it left a welt, startling her awake.

Clara jerked upright and fell off the bed, landing in a twist on the floor. She yelped in pain and cried again, as he looked down on her calmly. "Have you learned this lesson?"

"Please, Mister Burke," she said, trying to look sorry. "I have, p-please let me go."

"I doubt it, I really do." He removed his tie and wadded it up, then looked down at her again. "Get up, Clara."

She pushed herself up with her legs, using her elbows to pull herself onto the edge of the bed. Mister Burke grabbed her hair, pulled her head backward, and shoved the tie into her mouth. She muffled out a surprised cry, but he yanked her hair back and she was looking him right in the eyes when he issued the next command.

"You will not make any noise," he said. "But this will hurt, Clara."

She whimpered as he pulled her ass up into the air and squeezed her eyes shut.

He was right. It did hurt.

The mercenaries and the three of them left the next morning, Clara walking as close to Mister Burke as she dared. Her father had a few bruises on his face and a dried bloodstain around his nose, and was surprisingly quiet. Clara had tried to talk to him, but he'd given her a Look. A Look that she was so familiar with, she understood it meant to be quiet and not say anything to him until he talked to her first. She'd been given that Look too many times not to listen. And after what Mister Burke had done to her... she was especially quiet around him, as well.

Mister Burke was in a good mood as they made their way through the wasteland. Clara figured out from what they said that they were heading for Rivet City, like her father had wanted from the start. It was going to take a few days, with such a large group. There were fights with creatures in the wastes, and a few with raiders. Talon Company kept the threat down, and Clara helped. They camped in abandoned buildings and then at some tall building run by a man named Dukov.

Dukov laid his hands on her. It was when she'd gone to the upstairs area to look around. She was bored and there was nothing for her to do but explore; Mister Burke was having a heated talk with her father. The mercenaries...

They were looking at her like she was food and they were starving. She didn't like it much, but she was used to it so she ignored it. She walked up the stairs and was looking around in one of the bedrooms when Dukov came around the corner and leaned in the doorway.

"You've got a smokin' bod, sugar pie," he said. "How about letting old Dukov rock you to sleep, if you know what I mean? Hah ha!"

He'd scared her, because she hadn't seen him there and she was concentrating on looking around. Her heart was in her throat and she took a shaky, deep breath as she stared at him. "No thank you," she said.

Dukov laughed a loud disgusting laugh and moved into the room, getting too close for comfort. "I know you like getting dick from old men." He gestured at his crotch rudely. "I'll pay you, baby, whatever you want. I take care of my ladies!"

Clara flushed from head to toe. "I'm not a whore!" she said. "Go away, you nasty old man!"

Dukov's jaw clenched and his arms shot out, grabbing her wrists and tossing her against the wall with a thud. She was startled again and it gave him time to move into her, pressing her into the wall. "Watch your language, sweet cheeks. Might get a girl in trouble!"

Clara didn't need the psycho this time. She was frustrated enough already to want to hurt someone, and coupled with her punishment the other night... Her ass was still sore. She grabbed his shoulders, tossed him back without effort, and advanced on him. Dukov backed out of the room and held up his hands, trying to quit the assault, laughing at her. "Hah ha! Nice! Kick my ass!" He grinned and started to pull a weapon on her.

She got even madder, then. Clara didn't exactly remember how, but she found herself holding him by the neck over the railing, pushing him out as far as she could with one hand on the rail and the other squeezing his neck as tightly as she could.

Dukov made all manner of ugly noises, and she scoffed at him. "Learned your lesson," she muttered to herself, and let go of him.

He fell. She was shocked―she hadn't meant to―he lived, at least, with broken bones.

But when Mister Burke found out he'd tried to grope at her, he shot him in the head.

They made it to the Memorial shortly after dawn after a couple of days, moving slower than ever because her dad had gotten badly hurt. She didn't know how. She tried to smile for him, to make him happier. But he was still giving Mister Burke bad looks and Clara felt guilty.

Clara wasn't told whatever it was her dad was doing at the Memorial. ...Probably thought she wouldn't understand. She hadn't at first, but then she'd found a tin of mentats in an old building and she'd been sneaking them. Mister Burke and her father discussed the plan for the purifier and she figured it out.

Mister Burke was going to punish her if he found out she was using, she knew. But she needed to know what was going on. It was something important, she knew. Her dad told her about Project Purity when they reached the Jefferson Memorial. Dr. Li watched the two of them talking about what needed done while Mister Burke sat back and waited for his moment. He seemed content to let the scientists take a lead.

Clara had to clear out the sub-basement of Super Mutants. She'd seen them before, wasn't too concerned. It wasn't her first time fighting them, and since she went by herself she was able to use the psycho and mentats without worrying much. Her ability to understand what her father and Dr. Li wanted done in the sub-basement was remarked upon by Mister Burke.

"As soon as you are finished," he said, "you and I are going to have a long... talk, love."

He knew she was using again. She wanted to cry.

Clara delayed returning, diverting her focus onto a pipe that needed dealt with. When she did, she found the place crawling with soldiers in black armor. Clara was confused for a moment, but when she was being attacked―

She ducked behind a corner and injected more psycho, and started swinging her sledgehammer. Metal on metal crunched, screams were given―not her screams―and she slammed a path through the soldiers, making her way back to to the Rotunda.

The mentats were wearing off but her psycho was going strong when she burst into the room and bounded up the stairs. Her dad―inside the purifier, and so was―Mister Burke―what―?!

Her dad's injuries. She recalled that as the last bit of mentats faded, her dad being injured so awfully. Mister Burke must have helped him with the equipment in the inside―

It was locked, and she couldn't get in and there was a man in there with a gun and―shots were fired―

And her dad's hand on the glass as they all crumpled, falling down!

Clara started screaming and didn't stop until she'd cut a path through everyone in her way out of the place. She had no voice left, by the time the researchers from Rivet City had dragged her to some place called The Citadel.