I slowly began to sense the world around me. The darkness filling my eyes began to disappear, a fog lifting. I found myself staring up at a familiar ceiling. I was back home it seemed. I guessed I could call it home at this point. No one had kicked me out. There was a loud ringing in my ears and it felt like someone had kicked sand in my eyes. I ground my knuckles into them until I saw floating colors. All the rubbing did was make them itch. My mind was slowly thawing out.

I rolled on my side and winced as pain shot through the back of my skull. I reached back and felt my head; it was badly swollen. The night before rushed back at me as I ran my fingers through my hair and over the lump, testing how hard I'd hit it. The wooziness I was already feeling intensified as images of Elliot's face being blown apart flooded back from my memory. What had I seen? How did I get back here from that cell? I know I passed out, but I must have really been out cold to be carried all the way here and put in bed. At that thought I jerked up and looked around- was whoever brought me here still around?

I scanned around the room, but didn't see anyone, though I couldn't see upstairs or in the safe room. My eyes suddenly came to focus on the stand next to my bed, completely shifting my attention. My hat sat neatly placed facing me, but next to it was what really caught my attention: the wooden soldier. I was stunned. How did it get there? My head was spinning trying to process everything. Was last night a dream, a hallucination? I could still feel the sensation of fleshy chunks spattering my face; it sure felt real. The sickness I felt just thinking about it was real too.

I massaged my temples and stared at this strange little scene. I needed to hold the soldier, know what I was looking at was real. My hand was shaking as I reached out and as I was about to grab it I noticed a scrap of paper peeking out from under my hat. I pulled it out and began to read:

"Mac, I need you to trust me. Burn it all. Make it look like an accident if you can, but it doesn't really matter. Tonight, just burn it and make your way out of Diamond City."

I read the note again, then again, and then one last time- my eyes wide and teary. There was no signature, but it had to be Elliot. The thought crossed my mind that this could all be a set up or me going insane, but what did I really have to lose? I was ready to die if it meant I would find out the truth. I sat up and grabbed my hat from the stand, revealing Elliot's sunglasses. I let a small smile creep across my lips. It had to be him...and I'd personally give him back his glasses and the soldier.

The hours left in the day drug by slowly after I had packed up our belongings. Not that we had a lot of stuff, but I may have gone overboard with what I kept. I was going on the assumption that Elliot was alive though. I had to. I tried not to think about the other options or what I would do if the note wasn't his. This was all in, to hell with the rest.

When the sun had finally disappeared I nervously brought the packs outside and left them near the door. I lit up a cigarette and took a few drags as I eyeballed around the area- didn't see anyone. Good, I wanted to get this done fast. I went back inside and stared down at the mattress I'd just been laying on mere hours ago. I had soaked some rags in oil and left them strewn on it. One more long drag from the cigarette and then I laid it on one of the rags.

I watched the bed slowly begin to burn and felt a twinge in my heart. Elliot and I had shared so much here, but I was being sentimental again. I ran my hand over the little soldier in my pocket and walked back out into the night. It was a stifling hot night and I was already sweating. I pulled a handkerchief up over my mouth and guessed my time in Diamond City was done as I made my way to leave.

When I got to the entrance of the town I realized I had no idea where I was going. The note had just told me to leave, which I did. I stopped and darted my eyes around the nearby buildings, but I didn't even know what I was looking for. I didn't see anything either way and just picked a direction to start walking- my rifle in hand and finger hovering over the trigger.

I hated being out here at night...alone. I felt like a free target as I walked the ruined streets in no particular direction. If I could I hugged the walls of buildings for cover as I made my way, but that wasn't always possible. I wondered if I was being watched. If Elliot had left that note, where was he? If there was a time I needed to keep my head clear it was now; I had to stop scrambling my own brain. The heat was killing me. I pulled the handkerchief off and stuffed it in my pocket. I couldn't breathe with the darn thing on. It was probably a silly thought anyways.

As I walked closely by the wall of what looked to be a church a noise caught my ears; someone humming a song...a very particular song. I froze in place. It was the song that was playing on the radio in The Third Rail when Elliot hired me: Crazy He Calls Me. Conflicting emotions assaulted me as the humming continued. This reminder made my heart ache and race at the same time. I couldn't move and my indecision pissed me off. I was about to ask who was there when a hand grabbed one of my packs and yanked me into the church.

I was on my ass and in complete darkness before I had a chance to do anything. I knew I'd packed too much. I could vaguely make out the silhouette of someone standing above me. I yelled at the dark form, "where's Elliot!?" The person reached their hand down as of to help me up, but I refused and asked again, "I said where's Elliot?"

"Your lover?" They said almost smoothly. It was a man and definitely not Elliot.

I felt my face grow warm and gritted my teeth. "M..my husband you mother f...frick...you know where he is, tell me!" I began to slide the packs off my back and get up. I was ready to fight this person.

A flashlight suddenly lit up the stranger's face and I stopped. "Woah, woah there buddy," he said as he put up his hands, throwing the light from the flashlight around the room wildly. He wasn't wearing anything very identifying, just a white undershirt and jeans. He had swept up black hair and was wearing sunglasses.

I stared at the sunglasses. "Is this a joke?" I asked him.

"No no, not at all. You're the esteemed MacCready I've heard so much about?"

I tensed up at this stranger speaking my name. Did he know Elliot? He must. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

The man pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked. "Oh man, I'm Deacon and I'm with the Railroad. I thought everyone knew the illustrious Robert MacCready."

I furrowed my brow and let out a sigh, ignoring his jab at me. "You guys are real huh? I don't see any train tracks nearby."

Deacon laughed. "Oh Elliot said you were sarcastic as hell; he wasn't kidding was he?"

With those words veritable lightning shot through my body. I quickly got up, dropping the packs. "Elliot's ok!? Where is he!?" My heart was almost exploding it was pounding so hard; I had to see him.

Deacon didn't answer me; he was just shaking his head and chuckling. I moved closer to him, grasping my rifle at my side. "Please at least tell me he's safe."

"He's fine. Since you were so polite and didn't even try and take a swing at me...I'll take you to him." I could have sworn he had winked at me under those sunglasses.

"You pick that sunglasses at night crap up from Elliot?" I asked him as I grabbed the packs and began to follow him deeper into the church.

"This here's a Deacon original." He chuckled.

I rolled my eyes and shut my mouth, following him down a stairwell in the very back of the room. Part of me couldn't believe what was happening. Was I really going to see Elliot again? I was completely drenched in sweat by the time we got to the bottom of the stairs. I never wanted anything in life more than to see him again. I'd kill this man if this was all a lie-kill him with my bare hands.

Almost like he could hear my thoughts he stopped and turned to me. "You'll see him soon."

I nodded and Deacon turned back around, leading me down a hall dimly lit by flickering strings of light. I could see a door at the end of the hall with a terminal next to it. When we reached it Deacon quickly entered some stuff on the keyboard and the door loudly unlatched.

My heart thundered even harder as we headed through the door, which locked behind us, then headed along a corridor filled with rank pools of water and skeletons. We hadn't gone far when I saw him up ahead. He was hunched over in a chair smoking a cigarette and nervously tapping his foot. He still had the red varsity jacket on, but I had his sunglasses.

I dropped the packs and ran toward him, brushing past Deacon and muttering a thank you. As I got closer I could see Elliot had heard my footsteps. He snapped his head up and a grin spread across his face. That face...that face I never thought I'd see again. He was alive! I was on him before he could even get up. I wrapped my arms around him, squeezed him as tightly as I could. I felt like I was going to hyperventilate.

Deacon's voice echoed down the corridor to us. "Hey Elliot I brought your HUSBAND!"

I froze and could feel myself turn beet red. I awkwardly started spewing words. "Oh...haha...husband...well uh."

Elliot pulled himself out of my grip and stared at me with those beautiful green eyes as he took my hand in his, rubbing my ring with his thumb. "I guess you are my husband huh?"

I felt my heart flutter against my ribs and took the wooden soldier out of my pocket. "This was on the nightstand," I told him as I put it in his hands. "I'd looked all over for it...I." I cut myself short. Now wasn't the time to talk about the darkness I'd just crawled through while he was missing. There were few times in my life that I felt happier; I needed to enjoy this moment.

I pulled him back into a hug and tears began to fall down my face. "I thought you were dead Kav."

He squeezed me and rubbed my back, then moved his hand up under my hat and ran his fingers through my hair. God I missed his touch. I began to lose myself in the moment, running my fingers through his hair in return. I thought I was lost, but now I was home.

Just as I had let myself go and feel content Elliot began to twitch strangely. He fell limp in my arms and started convulsing. Deacon had been sitting with his back to us a little ways down the corridor, but now he came running as I did my best to keep Elliot in my arms.

He jerked to a stop next to us. "Lay him down!" I listened and slowly lowered Elliot down to the ground, his head on my lap. I stared down at him as he continued to twitch, panic and shock spreading through my body.

His convulsions began to slow after a little while and Deacon hovered above us quietly watching. He looked like he knew what was going on, but I was too preoccupied to ask him any questions. I needed to make sure Elliot was ok before anything else; needed him to stop twitching and say something to me. I needed him to tell me he was alight.

I studied Elliot's face in the dim light as I stroked his hair and suddenly caught a small red flicker in his left eye. I remembered what I had seen before I passed out last night and stared at his eye...his eye that shouldn't be there. I'd been so caught up with seeing him again the fact that his eye looked almost totally normal had escaped me. He had some small amounts of scarring where he'd been cut, but besides that he looked fine. I watched that raider take his eye. This wasn't right.
His eye flickered a brighter red this time and in unison with a strong convulsion. I gritted my teeth and looked up at Deacon. "I'm going to need some answers."