Chapter 12 - Reunions and Homecomings
The pale sun was approaching the bare tree line by the time Nora and Hancock reached the old storage room behind the cinema screen at the Starlight Drive In. They both surveyed the area for animals or the stray raider. Aside for the handful of mole rats that had infiltrated the abandoned dirt-covered parking lot, the area was clear.
Nora unpacked their things and made up the bed and the couch with sheets and their sleeping bags. During their walk over, Hancock had told her that Nick was going to meet them there and walk with them to Sanctuary. He was expected to arrive before nightfall.
The thought of seeing Nick again made her heart soar, but she still felt awkward about being in such close quarters with both of her lovers. Spending time with one of them separately wasn't a problem, but being together with them was a bit surreal.
"Hey, I'm gonna climb to the top of the movie screen and keep watch for Nick." Nora said.
"D'you want any company?"
"No, I'll be fine." She replied. She could tell that her response was disappointing to the ghoul, but he respected her decision with a curt nod.
"Alright, sunshine. I'll go find us something to eat that doesn't come from a can."
As Nora climbed the wooden stairs, the wind picked up. The cool air nipped at her nose and the staircase's metal handrails felt numbed her palms as she clambered the rest of the way to the top. Her teeth chattered and her breath came out in a fine frozen mist as she walked her way towards the south end of the movie theater screen.
Although she wasn't a fan of heights, the view from the top of the cinema screen was outstanding. The bright spotlights from the Corvega assembly plant acted like a beacon by guiding travelers towards the south west, and she could see, albeit veiled behind thick, slate grey clouds, the twinkling ruins of Boston.
To the north, she could see the brick and whitewashed building of the Museum of Freedom. Her fight with the deathclaw there seemed like lifetimes ago, she thought.
She brought the binoculars to her eyes and scanned across the abandoned parking lot before resting briefly on the nearby railroad station. A couple feral ghouls stood next to a train car and two bloatflies sat perched on a nearby tree. There was nothing out of the ordinary and she began scanning back across the parking lot to focus on the fragmented and broken roadbed.
There, approaching from the south, Nora could see the folded brim of Nick's beaten fedora and the telltale red glow of a cigarette. She also saw a young, blond-haired man dressed in an old letterman's jacket tail the detective like an obedient dog.
Nora zoomed in on the duo and she realized that she knew the blond-haired man. It was Liam Binet. The elation that rose up from her chest was quickly doused by the sickening deluge of guilt and realization. The Institute wouldn't just let him escape, she thought. He was here because of her.
Just then, an abrupt movement caught her eye and she zoomed in on the concession stand that was across the parking lot. Through the wrap-around service window, she saw a man's back and saw that he was carrying some sort of large laser rifle. She couldn't get a clear look at his face or his head as the building was dim and shrouded by the high nearby cliffside. She tried to zoom in further but the binoculars blurred out of focus. But by the time she refocused them, the figure had disappeared.
He wasn't dressed as a raider. In fact, his black leather jacket and his buzz-cut hair made him look more like an Institute Courser, and she knew that a Courser tailing her could only mean one thing: he was going to bring her back to the Institute.
She remembered the mishap at Greentech. She remembered the grainy black and white closed circuit television monitor in Dr. Ayo's laboratory as it played footage of Nick limping his way to Goodneighbor. She also remembered one of the picture that Dr. Ayo used to blackmail her with, how Nick's slack body was cradled between Hancock and Dr. Amari. How his face was twisted in pain as sparks emanated from the wound in his gut. Nora couldn't let the Courser hurt Nick again. If this Courser was sent to collect her, she'd meet him alone.
She climbed back down the wooden staircase, being cautious to not slip on the slick, sodden wood and took off running towards the concession stand at a brisk jog. The broken down cars that stood like old skeletons in the dirt could provide decent cover if this became a firefight. She had to move fast.
Everything in her body was screaming at her to turn back, to run back to Nick and Hancock, but her pride and her fear of losing either one of her men pushed her on.
She tried the door handle and found that it was unlocked, so she gently pushed the door open and peeked into the darkened kitchenette. Aside for her own breathing, she didn't hear footsteps or rustling above her. Either the man had already left (which was unlikely) or he was a master at being stealthy.
"Hello?" She called out.
There was no response but the hair on the back of Nora's neck prickled. She knew someone was there; she could feel their presence like one can feel that someone is looking at them when their back is turned. It was the same feeling she had when she and Hancock investigated the old convienence store near the BADTFL station near Cambridge. She knew that someone or something was watching her even if she couldn't see them. And when they were investigating the convienence store ruins, she swore that she could hear someone else breathing.
Her voice held fast and she tried to channel all of her adrenaline into an authoritative voice. "I saw you from the movie screen. I know you're in here somewhere. If you come out unarmed, no harm will come to you."
Again there was no response. Instead Nora heard the delicate, light sound of paper blowing in the wind and she looked up into the darkness and saw a piece of paper floating through the air. A dark shadow moved away from the metal railing; he was leaving her a message it seemed.
Nora caught the paper and read the news clipping dated November 10th, 2075. It read: SOLDIER HOMECOMING - The 108th Infantry Regiment will be arriving at the Boston Airport after spending nine months fighting the Chinese Menace in Alaska. Families of soldiers are welcome to attend the welcome home ceremony so generously hosted by the Yellow Ribbon Program and the Family Readiness Group. Remember, families will be asked to provide a photo-ID or a passport as a security precaution; your cars and personal affairs may be searched. Soldiers will be dismissed to go home with their families after the program's conclusion.
The last time Nora saw this when she was nearing the end of her pregnancy with Shaun. Her family, Nate's mother, and a handful of distant relatives showed up at the Boston Airport on that sleety November morning excited and nervous. They all made posters and signs welcoming Nate home, but by the time the vertibird touched down, their posters had beed reduced to soggy pieces of tagboard.
She'd never forget the look on Nate's face as he came out of the throng of other soldiers looking for their families; his face lit up when he saw her, his lips were chapped from the cold Alaskan air, and the world disappeared around them as they kissed for the first time in eight months.
"Nate?" She murmured and clutched the message in her fist.
"Nora." She heard a voice murmur.
Her blood turned to ice when she heard the voice. But denial was the first emotion to strike; she shook her head. This is ridiculous, she thought. But as she went to grab the door handle to leave, she heard the voice again.
"I'm here, Nora." A voice called out seemingly far away. Although stronger, it sounded like an audible hallucination at first, or like the sound of someone trying to talk during a violent windstorm. But then she heard the voice a third time. It was a voice that sounded so much like Nate's that Nora stopped moving so she could relish in the memory of her husband's voice.
"Nora ... Please."
Now she was certain that the voice was real. She unholstered her pistol quietly but didn't take it off safety.
"Wh-Who are you?" Nora asked.
"You know who I am." The voice said again. This time it was directly over the stairwell in the corner of the room.
Of course Nora knew. The voice was unmistakably Nate's voice. But how could this be possible? Nate was dead.
"I know who you sound like." Nora replied judicially. "I know who I want you to be, but neither one of those things is ever going to be possible. So why don't you just come down here and we can sort this out woman to man."
"Why don't you come up here?" The voice asked. She could hear the slight challenge that he posed. There was a flirtatious undertone in his challenge.
"What will I find if I come up there?" Nora asked. She took each step slowly and quietly. She took her time in case it was an ambush, in fact, she assumed that it probably was, so she had a contingency plan forming in her mind just in case.
"You'll find a man who's been missing you for a long, long time. You'll think he's a ghost, but I can assure you that he's not." The voice replied. Against her better judgement, Nora knew that this had to be Nate. Somehow, in someway, she knew she'd find Nate up these stairs.
As she climbed the stairs, the voice became stronger and Nora felt like she was walking through a memory. She stopped just two stairs shy of the landing. The man was shrouded in the darkness, but his silhouette was physically impressive nonetheless. He was tall and broad-shouldered and his clothing only accentuated his physical capacities. He looked more than capable of handling life in the wasteland.
"How is this possible Nathan?" She replied. His name slipped out unconsciously as fear crept into her voice. She wavered on the edge of a pin; her mind was screaming at her to leave, to run back to Hancock and Nick, and forget that this entire thing was happening.
The voice chuckled, deep and gentle. Despite being across the room, he sounded like he was right next to her. "You haven't called me Nathan in a long time, Nora. At least not since the weekend before Halloween. Do you remember?"
"No." Nora lied.
"You vetoed my choice for Shaun's Halloween costume. It was our first real argument in weeks. It was stupid really, us fighting about it, but you were always so passionate when you cared about something."
"You mean I was being stubborn." Nora corrected him. When they had their first ever argument as a couple, Nate accused her of being stubborn but Nora replied back that she was passionate for what she believed in. From then on, the euphemism was created much to Nora's ire.
The voice chuckled, "You were passionately stubborn I suppose. I wanted him to be a cop and you wanted …"
"... A devil." Nora finished for him in a half-choked sob. She remembered that night clearly. "I wanted Shaun to be dressed as a devil."
"Yeah," he replied. "Too bad we never made it to Halloween. He would've made the cutest devil."
Nora said nothing. She couldn't formulate the words. Now she was thankful for the privacy that the darkness provided; if Nate was somehow there, she was happy he couldn't see her tears.
"Hon, I know this is hard for you to understand." He said.
"Maybe you shouldn't call me 'hon'" Nora replied. "I don't even know you. You act like you're Nate, but that's impossible. You can't be Sergeant Nate Pendleton, only son of Mike and Sheila Pendleton of East Boston. You're just ..."
There was an uneasy pause. Nora knew her words had wounded him, but she couldn't delude herself into thinking the impossible.
He sighed. It was a sigh of defeat and resignation. "You're partially right. I'm a synth, Nora. But I'm also Nate. I'm your husband. I couldn't be anything else."
"But you're not ... human. Nate, my Nate, was a flesh and blood human, and I buried him eighteen months ago."
"And eighteen months later, he's been given back to you Just in a different form." He urged. "I know this is far fetched and I know this may sound completely crazy, but I need you to understand somehow."
Nora couldn't. She couldn't look past the wound that had been reopened. She thought she had managed to move on after Nate's death. She managed to find love again, not once but twice, and she had a community of people around her. If this synth really thought he was her husband, Nora wasn't sure if there was room in her life or in her heart for another variable to force its way in.
"So lets say you are my husband." Nora replied. "What do you want from me?"
There was a pregnant pause and a sharp intake of breath that sounded she had physically attacked him with her words. "I don't want anything from you Nora. I already got everything I wanted."
"And what was that?"
"To see you again. At least just once." He replied. Nora's heart broke. She couldn't do this. This could be the most elaborate prank in the world, or it could be some miracle of science or divinity, but Nora couldn't torture herself any longer.
"I have to go." Nora replied. "I'm sorry."
"Wait! Please don't go." Nate said.
Nora froze. "Why?"
"I understand that you're confused and that you're hurting." He said. "But can I just talk to you one more time? I know this is a lot to process."
Nora took a step down the stairs and looked up into his dim silhouette. "I - I can't make any promises. I don't know."
"Please! Just think on it for a couple of days. I know you're heading back home to Sanctuary. I'll be hanging out next to the entrance to the Vault if you change your mind. I can only spare a couple of days though. Shaun needs me back at the Institute. His cancer is spreading and I've been taking care of him since I awoke."
The news hit her like an anvil to the head and her silence told more than any words could ever do.
"Ah shit, you didn't know did you?" Nate said. "God dammit, I'm sorry. I thought they told you when you were with the Institute. Shit, I -"
"NORA? NORA!" Hancock's voice echoed across the parking lot.
"I gotta go." Nora said quickly.
"Nora, wait!" He replied.
He leaned over the metal railing and came into the ray of dim light shining through the side door. From the tips of his hair to the scar that cut across his left eye and lip, Nora looked into her husband's face for the first time since she buried him.
"I've missed you Nora." He reached out his hand to her. The angle was awkward and Nora had to climb up two steps to take it.
"And I'm sorry." He said. His hand was dry and warm. The callouses beneath his fingers and around his palm tickled Nora's skin.
"What are you sorry for? You haven't done anything." Nora asked.
Nate's blue eyes looked down at her dolefully. "I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm sorry that you had to face this world alone. I -" He cleared his throat of the burgeoning emotion, "I wasn't there to protect you and Shaun like I should've."
Nora swallowed thickly and tears spilled down her cheeks. Damn the compartmentalizing, she thought.
She took a few ragged breaths and pulled her hand free of his. "You never left me Nate. I couldn't have made it this far without you guiding the way."
He smiled. It was the shy, uncertain smile that she fell in love with, and it pained Nora to tear herself away from it.
Now Nick joined in and both Hancock and Nick's voices echoed across the parking lot.
"I'm sorry, I need to go." Nora replied and she quickly descended the stairs.
"Remember Nora. Vault 111. I'll be there waiting." He called after her.
As Nora left the concession stand, she looked behind her shoulder but saw nothing except the setting sun.
Nora placated the men's concern for her absence by lying. She told them that she lost track of time reading the various Boston Bugles that were strewn about in the concession stand.
It was a hard sell, especially to Nick who seemed to have a preternatural instinct to determine when someone was lying to him, but the newspaper clipping about her husband's homecoming that she revealed was still clenched in her fist seemed to placate him enough.
She didn't feel good about it, but she knew that telling them the truth might do more harm than good. Even if this synthetic Nate was truly and completely just looking to reconnect, Nora didn't completely trust him yet. However, she worried what her men would think about the issue. Hell, even she didn't know quite what to make of it yet.
Dinner that night was closer to a small party. Hancock and Nick split a bottle of scavenged whisky and Nora found some white wine that hadn't turned to vinegar. Liam declined anything they offered besides the mole rat meat (which he ate voraciously) and a bottle of Nuka Cola (which he discovered that he hated).
Liam and Nora talked most of the night. Nora apologized to Liam for getting him into trouble, but Liam wouldn't hear any of it.
"Nora, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat." He replied. "I knew what I was getting myself into. How can I call myself a man if I can't stand up for what I believe in? Besides, I've experienced so many new and different things."
The two of them swapped stories of their adventures; they talked and laughed like they were old veterans swapping war stories, and their conversations left Hancock and Nick feeling like the odd men out.
By the time the moon had risen well above the tree line, Hancock got up from his seat on the overturned Nuka Cola machine and stretched.
"Alright guys, I got first watch tonight. Kid, it's best to get some sleep; second watch comes pretty quickly." He said.
Liam's looked at the ghoul with wide-eyes and nodded. Nora smirked at Liam's bashful and nervous expression. For never having seen a ghoul, Liam figured the best course of action was just to agree to everything the terrifying man told him, and Nora knew Hancock would abuse the issue once he realized the power his ghoulified appearance had over the young man.
"Here, I'll help you get set up." Nora replied and offered her hand to help Liam up from the ground. She grabbed his pack that he was sitting against and did a double take when she felt its weight.
For a kid who left the Institute with nothing but the clothes on his back, he certainly accumulated a lot of junk since being topside. The straps on the pack he carried groaned from the weight and Nora was amazed that the old canvas didn't split open in the twenty feet it took to carry it inside.
"What have you got in here? Rocks?" Nora complained.
Liam came up behind her and put the pipe pistol that Nick had given him on the ground next to the overly plump and moth-eaten couch.
"I keep finding really neat things that I think my dad would like to have." Liam replied. He had to displace a couple of intact microscopes, a crystal liquor decanter, and a handful of rolled up Boston Bugles to pull out a blanket that was folded up on the bottom of the bag. "He's always wanted to go topside with a Courser, but he's never been granted the clearance. He'd probably use the microscopes for spare parts and the liquor decanter for holidays and other celebrations.
Nora sighed and put a gentle hand on his shoulders. In all likelihood, Liam would probably never see his father again. If collecting a few pieces of junk here and there would help him feel better, then Nora wasn't going to say anything to dissuade him.
"I'm sure he'll be thrilled Liam." She replied with a kind, sad smile.
As she turned to leave, Liam grabbed ahold of her arm and turned her to face him. "Hey. I just wanna say that I'm glad you made it back home. I like him, Mister Valentine that is. He seems like a good person. You deserve it."
"Thanks Liam." Nora replied. She gave his arm one final pat and then walked back into the night air.
"Did'ya put the kid to bed?" Nick asked with a wry smile as she sat back down next to him.
"He's not a kid Nick. He's seventeen and he's missing his father." She rebuked.
"I know that. I was only kidding, doll." He replied. "He's a good ally to have, that kid. He's a real brainiac, and he's loyal too. I nearly had to pry the information outta him when it came to you. Whatever bond you struck up with him is strong stuff."
"I owe my life to him, Nick." She said quietly. "If it was't for him, I wouldn't be here today."
Nick nodded as though he confirmed a personal suspicious he had. Then he cleared his throat, the sound abrupt and gruff, so unlike Nick's normally smooth countenance. His thumb brushed across her knuckles and his metal hand plucked a cigarette from his coat pocket and let the flames from the campfire light it for him.
"So...I have some news for you, doll. I wanna be straight with you, but I know this is gonna sound crazy." He spoke in a low voice as though he was afraid Hancock would overhear them.
"What's up?" She asked. In her gut, she already knew what Nick was going to tell her, the world often worked on coincidence and timing, and if Synth Nate had managed to track her down here, then it would make sense that a detective would've noticed a new person skulking around the only two friendly settlements in Boston proper.
"I - uh. The Railroad's been receiving intel about the Institute's activities as of late. I only recieved the news yesterday but I know this is a matter they've been watching closely for some time. The kid's been helpful with corroborating the likelihood of this story and although it's gonna sound far-fetched, I swear that this is real."
Nora nodded quietly and let Nick continue.
"I'll believe whatever you tell me Nick. I trust you." Nora replied.
Nick nodded in satisfaction. He was humbled, sure, but it would make everything easier knowing that Nora would't be second guessing his story's authenticity at every turn. "You remember what I told you about my memories, about the real Nick Valentine and how he went in for some Pre-War brain scan and I woke up with all his thoughts and feelings in my head?"
Nora nodded.
"Well, the Institute's done it again...and apparently they've improved on the method this time. And he's looking for you."
Nora nodded again. She fixated her face to make it look like she was mesmerized by the flames, but she knew that if she looked Nick in the eye, he'd catch on to her deceit. "Who was he?"
Nick shifted uneasily beside her. "He's your late husband, Nora."
The truth. So, her conversation at the concession stand across the way wasn't just some form of trickery, slight of hand, or temporary insanity. Her husband's voice, memories, personality, and features had been replicated by the Institute and downloaded into a synth that was the near copy of her husband, and he was sent to find her.
"Has he been sent here to hurt me?" Nora asked.
"We dunno. According to the kid, he was created as a ... reward of sorts. Apparently you and him were suppose to play 'happy family' down in the Institute."
"Has anyone seen him since the sighting in Boston?" It was a leading question and Nora knew it. If her companions assumed they weren't being followed, then Nora might have the opportunity to sneak away and see him again.
"No. And we've searched both Diamond City and Goodneighbor. We don't think he'd be hiding out in a settlement, but it would take us months to work Boston's ruins over with a fine-toothed comb and that's time and manpower we don't have. You haven't seen anything suspicious while you and Hancock were traveling, have you?"
Another white lie, "No. I mean, we heard something cause a pretty big commotion in an abandoned convienence store over by Cambridge, but when we checked it out we didn't find anything. It could've been a random dog that we scared off."
Nick frowned, "Just be careful, doll. Trust your instincts and if you see anything weird, let us know, okay?"
She sighed but didn't respond. She pulled her knees to her chest. To Nick, her reaction looked like she was on edge or in deep thought, but Nora felt sick to her stomach. She didn't like lying to Nick. But she needed to sort out what the hell was happening for herself.
"Doll?" Nick turned to her and his synthetic hand left hers to cup the side of her face. She saw the concern in his eyes and the fear. He thought she'd break all over again, and maybe she was close. Maybe she was one more hit away from shattering, but Nora knew that she couldn't predict if or when that moment would come. She had to find some way to endure.
"I'm okay, Nick." She replied and rested her cheek against his touch. "Really, I am. Thank you for telling me. I know it wasn't easy to do so."
"I gotta say, doll. You're handling this all remarkably well." He replied. "This is some pretty heavy news, even without the Institute's involvement, if I was you, I wouldn't have believed a word of it."
"Ever since I escaped the Institute, I've learned to be a bit more open-minded about the things that can happen in life." Nora replied. Her answer was cryptic but it seemed to satisfy Nick's concern.
Nora leaned her head against Nick's shoulder. He passed her his lit cigarette and she took a drag from the filter. The smoke mingled with the black campfire smoke and rose up to the cloudy night sky. She knew in her gut that the synth-called-Nate was probably watching them from afar. She thought back to how her husband beamed with pride when she managed to last an entire month without a cigarette. The nicotine patches she bought barely took the edge off but through a combination of sheer willpower, stubbornness, and drug store issued cessation medication, she managed to get ahead of her addiction. She frowned at the memory and then passed Nick's cigarette back to him. The taste of tobacco and smoke didn't seem as appealing anymore.
There was a lot of things in her life that had changed, Nora reasoned. If Nate was here now, she knew he'd be disappointed in how she chose to live her life. He told her that he'd be understanding if she moved on in the event of his death, granted the circumstances around his possible death were on the battlefield and not in a frozen tomb created by corporate madmen, but understanding isn't the same as accepting. Besides, most people make these promises with the expectation that they'd never have to see their former wife kissing his replacement.
That also begged the question of his relationship with their grown son. He had to be allied with them in some way; shit, he was created by the Institute after all. So, it stood to reason that he was oblivious to the Institute's true sins, or worse, he was complicit in them. It made sense on their part, actually. Nora was the imperfect soldier; she was blackmailed and bribed into compliance, but Nate - a man who was created, trained, and indoctrinated by the Institute - would be an invaluable asset.
She also felt the sting of rejectment. Shaun was probably going to be a daddy's boy anyway. Nora had failed at being a mother when he was an infant, and she failed again when her despair and her temper got the best of her. Shaun was many, many things, but she still regretted her outburst that night. She had been pushed to the brink and she snapped, and her son was hit with the shrapnel. And to top it off, her son's cancer diagnosis...
"You're mind's goin' a mile a minute, doll." Nick whispered, interrupting her thoughts. "You sure you're alright."
Nora blinked a couple of times and stretched. Fatigue was beginning to set in, and she needed to call it a night, at least so her racing thoughts would finally stop.
"Yeah..." She cleared her throat. "I just got a lot on my mind with ... You know. What you told me. Sorry."
Nick kissed her forehead and whispered into her hairline, "You got nothing to apologize for, doll."
"I think I'm gonna turn in." Nora said. "Maybe a good night's sleep will help me sort all of this out."
Nick stood up with her, ever the gentleman, and walked her inside the small storeroom. She kissed him softly on his smooth lips, and he affectionately pinched her chin when they broke apart.
Over the course of that evening, Liam snored softly on the sofa. Hancock came in from his shift a couple hours later and took the sofa from Liam. Nick, who never needed to sleep, did his diagnostic scan before Nora took the early morning watch. When it was her time to wake up, she stood by the treelike with Nick; he was smoking and Nora was wrapped up in her thick bomber jacket and one of the extra blankets.
During her watch, she brooded some more while Nick smoked; two hearts in a pair. She thought about how Nick, against his better judgement, told her the truth about Nate's appearance. She once scolded him for shutting her out and for withholding important information from him, but wasn't she doing the same thing? No matter how she justified it, Nora had to come clean to Nick, but a part of her didn't want to. A part of her wanted to live in the past, in the fantasy of life before Nick and Hancock, the Institute, and the bombs. A time where the only challenges in life were trying to parent a fussy infant, paying the bills, tending to the husband, and living in a world on the brink of nuclear war.
When they crossed the bridge to Sanctuary, Nora was surprised to find that the entire town was fortified. Two large wooden guard towers flanked the entrance to the town, and a rudimentary wooden wall was built up around the town's perimeter. Two metal machine gun turrets sat idle in front of the guard towers.
"Halt." A woman called from the guard post. Her hunting rifle was pointed right at Nora. "State your business here, traveler."
"I'm Nora." She replied cautiously holding her hands up in surrender. "This is Detective Nick Valentine from Diamond City, Mayor Hancock from Goodneighbor, and Liam from Salem. I use to live here. Is Preston Garvey still here? I helped them out in Concord last year and I wanted to check up on them."
The woman narrowed her eyes. Her heated stare appraised Nora before she signaled to her compatriot to head back into town. "You all can wait by the bridge."
The group trudged back to the half-broken wooden bridge and waited until a wide-brimmed wearing cowboy poked his head over the wooden fence.
"Nora? Just a minute. I'll have them open the doors." Preston said. He beckoned them towards the gate and yelled to an unseen fellow to open up the hydraulic metal door. A cheery "Welcome to Sanctuary" purple neon sign sat to the right of the door.
"This is a helluva welcome party." Nick remarked.
Preston came out and extended his hand for Nora and the rest of them to shake.
"Nora, God it's been a long time. How are you?" He asked brightly.
"I'm fine Preston." She replied. She was surprised by how happy she was to see the man. Although she wouldn't call him a friend, she still wished him no ill will and hoped that he didn't harbor any resentment towards her for spurning his offer to lead the Minutemen. By the looks of the grin that was plastered to his face, it seems that was all water under the bridge.
He looked unchanged. The dancing, red energy from his modified musket casted a warm glow near his face. His clothes were a little more worn and weather beaten, but he looked healthy and strong.
"So what brings you to our neck of the woods?" He asked brightly.
"I - I was hoping to stay here for a couple of days. You know, to rest and recoup. I just felt the need to come home. If you have the room for all of us that is."
"Of course!" Preston said. "The group will be happy to see you. And we have a few new people too, thanks to you."
The group grabbed their bags and followed Preston across the bridge and past the wooden guard posts. The two guards were dressed in thick leather armor, and both women sported heavy duty hunting rifles.
"Where did you find your guard dogs?" Hancock rasped. "These don't look like the raider sort."
"Uh, well that's because they're not." Preston replied. He was caught off guard by the ghoul's assessment. "These two use to be caravan guards but when their caravan rolled out, these two decided to stay. We weren't in much of a position to turn them away; raiders are starting to hear about our setup here and attacks have been happing with more and more frequency. Since they started working here, the attacks have gone down substantially.
When they passed through the metal door, Nora almost gasped when she saw the sight of her former homestead.
The houses that once stood in Sanctuary were now remodeled and augmented with steel walls and shingled roofs. Nora noticed that some of the houses were re-painted while others were completely re-constructed with pieces of the other collapsed houses. On one of the old foundations, there was a large meeting area with a few steel lawn chairs circled around a burning fire pit. The broken cars, debris, and destroyed lamp posts were gone. The town had a rudimentary set of floodlights installed on each of the houses and they were powered by a large generator that was tucked up against a vacant garage.
Seeing Nora's awed reaction, Preston spoke, "I hope you don't mind that we've remodeled a bit. Sturgis discovered that many of these houses had intact wiring and he was able to built this generator and hook up some more amenities to make life a little easier. We even have a working washing machine."
Nora heard the pride in his voice and the pride was well deserved. "Preston, this is amazing. I'm speechless."
He blushed at her compliment and led her down the street. The term 'settlement' wasn't accurate enough to describe how the community had grown. In fact, Nora figured that Sanctuary Hills could expand to something that rivaled Diamond City in a few years.
Preston led the group to the robin's egg blue house on the left. The orange wooden door to her house was closed and her house was the only one that wasn't remodeled or refurbished in any meaningful way.
"Your house was going to be the one of the last ones we changed." Preston replied when he saw her pained face. "The house has electricity again but we gutted out the living room for furniture and scrap, but everything else remains untouched. If you wanted to stay there, we could probably scrounge up some bedrolls and sleeping bags for you and your companions."
"No that's okay." Nora replied. "We brought our own gear. Thanks."
"Alright," He replied. "Oh and by the way, you have someone who would be thrilled to see you again. Hey Codsworth!"
The Mister Handy floated past a window and opened the front door, "Yes, Mr. Garvey. How may I be - AS I LIVE AND BREATE! MUM! Is that really you?"
Codsworth's eye stalks wagged and trembled in excitement and he hovered out into the street.
"Hey Codsworth." She beamed.
She embraced the robot and gently felt the dent and the scrape that was located below his right eye stalk. "Oh Codsworth, I've missed you."
"Oh, the same to you mum." He replied. "So were you successful? Did you find Shaun?"
Nora sighed, "Let's talk about that later, Codsworth. I have some friends who I want you to meet."
"Of course, mum."
Preston motioned for her to walk with him towards the house's entryway as the three men introduced themselves to Codsworth. He led her into her old living room and flicked a light switch near the doorway. Small tea lights and dim electric candles were fixed to the ceiling and walls. The room was a wash with a romantic glow which painted the interior with gold.
"Go take a look at the rest of the place." He replied. "Codsworth was a huge help with cleaning everything and Sturges added a few little touches there and there. You have hot, running water in the bathroom, thanks to him."
Nora felt rooted to the spot. She didn't dare venture farther than the living room; she couldn't, at least not with the memories of her old life haunting the hallways. Masking her pain, she gave Preston an easy-going smile, "I'll explore in a bit once we're all settled in. Thanks."
Preston nodded, hearing the dismissal in her voice, and tipped his hat to her. "If you need anything, Nora. You just let me know, okay?"
As Preston left, Nick, Hancock, Liam, and Codsworth filed in to the house.
"Wow, Nora. You use to live here?" Liam asked.
"Um, yeah." She replied awkwardly. "You all can set your stuff down anywhere. There are two bedrooms down the hallway and the bathroom is the first room on the left.
"Mum, shall I whip you all up some tea?" Codsworth asked.
"You know you don't work for me anymore Codsworth." Nora replied. "I released you, remember?"
"Oh yes, but it's in my programing mum. I live to serve! And I choose to serve you." He said.
"Tea would be swell Codsworth, thank you." Nick replied politely.
"Right-oh!" Codsworth floated off towards the kitchen and began purifying water to put in a tarnished kettle.
"Nora, I'm gonna go look around some more!" Liam replied. "This place is amazing!"
Hancock looked sideways at Liam. He could feel Nora's tension, the anxiety in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, and he noticed that Nick saw it too.
"I'll go after the kid and make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble." He rumbled.
"Thanks," She replied.
Nora turned towards the hallway and took a few steadying breaths. Sweat beaded at the base of her neck and her hands felt clammy and cold.
"C'mon doll." Nick murmured, slipping his hand into hers. "Let's go face those demons of yours."
Nora led the way down the hall and pulled the chord to turn on the bathroom light. The mirror was cracked beyond use, and the toilet had been dislodged from the linoleum, but the shower and the sink looked to be in good condition. The fluffy white towels that she and Nate had recieved as a wedding present were moth eaten and moldy. But otherwise the bathroom was clean and operable.
She walked farther down the hallway and took the second left and went into her bedroom. Looters must've taken the mattress a long time ago and the window was boarded up with plywood, but otherwise the place looked as she had left it.
She opened the dresser to her left and found her skirts, blouses, and stockings all folded up into neat little piles. The next drawer was full of Nate's t-shirts and button down shirts, khaki pants for casual wear and black slacks for more professional occasions. As she crossed the room, she saw the black burn in the carpet next to the bed and the first rush of memories flooded back to her.
She took a seat on the wooden bed frame and touched the rough patch of carpet gently, like one would caress fine glass.
"This burn was from me. I tried to light a match so I could smoke, but I was trembling too hard and all the matches caught fire. I dropped them here." She told Nick.
"Go on, doll." Nick replied and took a seat next to her. "Talk about it if it'll help."
Nora's voice was hollow and her fingers never left the piece of burned carpet. "I was so stressed and tired after Shaun's birth. I couldn't find a job that would hire a college drop out just a semester shy of graduation. I was over qualified for secretarial work and I was under-qualified for anything else. Nate was trying to find a job at one of the military bases, a cushy desk job away from the action on the field, but people wanted Nate the war hero, not Nate the new father. He almost considered signing up for another tour in Anchorage just because it was good money, but I begged him not to."
Nick wanted to kiss Nora's hand but felt it was sacrilegious to kiss a widowed woman in the bedroom that she and her husband once shared, so he gently brushed the strands of choppy, chin length hair behind her ear and caressed her face with his hand.
She gave him a small smile that was like a small candle in the darkness and she continued, "So. I was taking care of Shaun and I just couldn't take it anymore. He was screaming, completely red-in-the-face kinds of yelling, and nothing I did would quiet him down.
"That must've been hard, doll. What with a new kid and all the things you were balancing. It would make anyone go a little crazy." Nick empathized.
"I know. But I didn't handle it well, Nick. I - I just kind of broke down. I locked myself in this room. I wouldn't open the door for anyone, and I smoked so much that my throat was raw by the time Nate kicked the door open. I can still hear Shaun's screams and I just let him cry."
Nick pulled Nora into his side. "You're no different than the billions of other mothers with kids who drive them crazy. A crying baby isn't somethin' to beat yourself up about."
Nora rested her head in her palms and shook her head.
"Nora, in my line of work I've seen mothers do all manners of terrible things to their children. Some sell them off so they can pay for chems and others just leave them out for the wastes to claim because they're another mouth to feed. You can't keep livin' your life thinking you're the worst thing to walk the earth just because you couldn't get an infant to stop crying."
"He's right you know, mum." Codsworth replied. He was carrying a tray with two chipped mugs full of herbal tea. "You're being much too hard on yourself."
Nora took the warm mugs from the tray and passed one to Nick. The tea had a mild taste, but the warmth it brought was more than appreciated.
"Codsworth, you were there." Nora pointed out. "You were terrified."
"I wasn't terrified, mum." Codsworth replied with a slight tone of indignation, "I was concerned for you. Shaun was throwing what you humans call a tantrum. Everything in my programming told me that it would eventually pass. He was fed, his nappy was changed, and he was safe. But you, mum, I was worried about you."
"I appreciate that Codsworth." Nora replied, "But there will always be some part of me that feels responsible for what's happened."
Then Nora looked at the robot in the eyes. "Codsworth, I found Shaun."
He knew by Nora's tone that the resolution wasn't a pleasant one. "Did - did he perish, mum?"
"No. It's hard to explain, but he was kidnapped far earlier than I thought. He's an old man now and ... he's dying."
Nick frowned at the news. So Nora did know about her son's illness, he thought.
"Oh mum..." Codsworth replied quietly.
The sobs shook her body and tea splashed onto her trembling hands. "And maybe if I was a better mom, Shaun wouldn't be the type of man he is now. And maybe -"
Nick took the mug from Nora's hand and set it on the floor next to his. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket, gave it to Nora who wiped her eyes with it, and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Nora sobbed into Nick's chest. She clung on to him for dear life and let the floodgates of her compartmentalized emotions crash into her head-on. She was so good at repressing her emotions and the emotional pain that pulled at her chest felt like someone was crushing her heart with an iron grip. But as much as it hurt, she needed to feel it.
When Nora's crying died down into weak shudders and hiccups, Nick guided her back into the living room. The darkened bedroom that once was Shaun's bedroom would have to be explored another day.
When they came back into the living room, Hancock was lounging up against the countertop smoking a cigarette, but when he saw Nora he pulled her into a hug of his own.
He looked at Nick questioningly who just shook his head. Now wasn't the time nor the place and Hancock understood. Nora broke apart from the ghoul and coughed weakly. A dull headache was forming between her eyes.
"Mum, forgive me if this is too bold." Codsworth began. "Now may not be the best time for this, but it's something that's been on my mind for a while."
Nora looked at the robot quizzically. The way Codsworth was talking made it seem like he had developed some semblance of independent thought.
"Go ahead Codsworth." Nora replied.
"Thank you, mum." He said, "I've always had such admiration for you and your family, ever since the day my visual sensors were first switched on. I know that Master Nate assembled me and programmed me but you Nora, you treated me as your ... equal. I respected you and I saw how hard you fought with your pain. You tried to hide it from Master Nate, but I noticed it. So you can imagine the distress I felt when the bombs fell, after you fled to the Vault. I searched this entire town and the forests around it, but found no evidence of your death. I could only hope that you made it somehow. And when you returned, I was overjoyed! I admit I ran a full diagnostic scan just to make sure I wasn't malfunctioning. And traveling with you to Diamond City, and nearly losing you again, well ..."
"I know Codsworth, I should've never dragged you with me. I should've let you stay here with Preston." Nora replied.
"No mum, please." Codsworth begged. "I'm coming to the point I'm trying to make. Just bear with me. When you released me that day after Mister Arturo fixed me up, I saw how guilty you felt. I saw your pain, but I also saw your respect for me. Mum. You would do anything to help someone you care for, even if it meant hurting yourself. You're a hero to many here."
Nora had never heard Codsworth talk that much. "I'm no hero, Codsworth. Trust me."
"Don't sell yourself short, mum. In such a bleak world as this, think of all you've witnessed and all you've done. In my two hundred years, I've seen it tear good men and women apart. But you, mum. You have remained the very model of what humanity should aspire to be. I truly believe that you are the one person who can help turn the Commonwealth around."
"If you think the world aspires to be a woman who failed at every thing she tried to do, then you have a pretty bleak idea of humanity." Nora grumbled.
"You didn't fail, Mum." Codsworth insisted. "You survived. You survived the bombs, you survived the wasteland, and … " Codsworth paused, unsure if he should continue, "You survived the darkest demons inside of you. I should think that is plenty worthy of praise. Now, I've said my peace. If there's nothing more that you require, I will see if Mister Garvey needs my assistance."
If Codsworth could breathe, Nora was sure he'd be panting from his tirade.
"We're all good here, thanks Codsworth." Nick replied with a grin.
Codsworth shuddered and made a motion that could only be described as a half bow and floated out into the afternoon sunlight.
"He's quite the chatterbox." Hancock remarked.
Nora laughed at the absurdity of it all. Here she was, tear-stained and blotchy-faced, standing in her living room with her two boyfriends and receiving a rousing, inspirational pep talk from Codsworth.
"He may be the best thing about this place." Nora replied.
"He's right you know." Nick stated. His face held a satisfied look that bordered on saying 'I told you so.'
Hancock nodded. You say you ain't a hero, but that's the first thing I thought of when you walked into my town. You care about people who don't deserve it."
"And you go above and beyond to help those who do." Nick replied and gestured out towards the living room window. "Preston told me what you did. You charged in, saved their group from raiders, and fought a deathclaw?! I'm slightly burned up that I had to hear that story from him, doll."
"But-" Nora countered.
"No butts, sunshine." Hancock interrupted. "You don't have to believe us, but you don't get to get to argue either. Just accept that you're pretty fuckin' amazing and move on."
Nora rolled her eyes and walked out into the sunshine. Nick took her right hand while Hancock took hold of her left.
"If you guys aren't careful, I'm gonna get a bloated ego from all this praise." Nora warned.
"I'm sure Nicky and I will find a way to bring ya back down to Earth." Hancock smirked.
Nora looked at Nick and saw the heat and desire that simmered in his eyes, and although the afternoon was chilly and bracing, Nora the cold couldn't penetrate the layer of embarrassment and lust that flushed through her skin.
"You both are terrible influences when you're together." Nora remarked.
Both men grinned but said nothing. As the trio walked down the crumbling asphalt road towards the center of the cal-du-sac, Nora felt a sense of belonging and acceptance that she had never felt before. It was a profound acceptance that she didn't get in Goodneighbor or even in Diamond City. Diamond City and Goodneighbor were nice enough places to live, but Nora knew that Sanctuary Hills would always be her home.