Maverick could tell Leyah was uncomfortable as soon as they returned to Carol's Place.

Shit, not even a couple hours in a relationship and something is already wrong.

Maverick took the key from her and unlocked the door to the 'room' and held it open for her. Leyah gave him a tiny smile before stepping in. Maverick stepped in and closed the door behind him. He let out a soft sigh as he unclipped his ammo belt and harness. Shit, he would have to pad it a little more, it was starting to chafe more than it should.

After a few moments, Maverick discovered what was probably bothering Leyah. She already had her boots off and she was pulling on the sleeves of her vault suit before zipping it up, covering any skin her tanktop exposed before. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, peeking up at him.

Fuck, she didn't think that he was expecting them to…did she?

"What is it, Vaultie?" he asked, trying to sound lighthearted.

She shrugged and started to pick at the mattress.

"You know, they say communication is important for-"

"I don't know what you're expecting from this…that's all," she mumbled.

Maverick plopped down on the bed beside her, giving her plenty of space. "Leyah, we'll only do what you want to do. And, to be honest, your little suicide mission today wore me the fuck out."

Her snort of laughter made him look over at her. She playfully shoved his shoulder. "Ass."

Maverick shifted until he was on his stomach and gently nudged Leyah's hip. "Now relax and get some sleep."

He felt the mattress shift as she laid down next to him and he tried to keep his eyes closed as he felt her shuffle closer to him. He could feel the warmth of her body near his side and that was when he finally peeked at her.

She was plucking at the sleeve of his shirt now, biting her lip. "Mav, how many relationships have you been in?"

"Only one serious one. Why?"

She shrugged and scooted even closer to him. "Just curious."

Maverick knew there was something else, but he didn't have the energy to find out what it was. "Goodnight, Leyah."

"Goodnight."

Leyah had expected things to dramatically change between her and Maverick. But, she was shocked and pleased to find that wasn't the case. The next morning, she woke to the sounds of the diner opening and Maverick was already up. He was sitting outside and cleaning his gun. An unlit cigarette hung out of his mouth and she almost giggled at the sight.

That was something he always did. He would stick a cigarette in and then get distracted by something and it would sit there until he cursed and finally lit it.

Sure enough, he let out a soft 'dammit' and lit the cigarette.

Leyah sat up and got all of their gear together and opened the door. "I was wondering when you would notice."

Maverick curled his lip a little and continued working on his gun.

Leyah rolled her eyes and leaned over and kissed the top of his head before going over and getting breakfast. She hoped Maverick wouldn't mind if she wanted to hug and kiss and all that shit. When she dated Wally, she discovered she loved the contact and affection, which he hated.

Carol gave her a knowing wink as she handed over the Sugar Bombs and Brahmin milk and Leyah tried to not blush as she headed back over to Maverick. Shit, she was going to get teased by everyone now.

She set the Sugar Bombs down beside him and uncapped her bottle of milk. "So, what's the plan?" she asked. She hoped he would want to stop by Jefferson Memorial again. It had been a couple days, surely going one day early wouldn't hurt?

Maverick took his cigarette out and tapped the ashes away. "Well, we have two options. We stay here for another day and scavenge what we can from nearby, or we can just head back to Jefferson Memorial and see if your dad came back yet."

"I like the second option."

Maverick snuffed his cigarette out on a nearby ashtray and he nodded. "Alright, we'll head to Rivet City and pick up what supplies we can before going to Jefferson."

Leyah nodded, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. For some reason, she couldn't shake that something was wrong. She hoped it was just her anxiety talking and not her intuition screaming at her.

The trip back to Rivet City was uneventful for the most part. They only ran into a handful of feral ghouls and everything went smoothly. Leyah let Maverick deal with the vendors in the marketplace. God, she was feeling more and more nervous by the second.

Maverick noticed because of course he did and he didn't push her. On their way to the Jefferson Memorial, only then did he speak. "You feel it too, don't you?"

Leyah bit her lip. Maverick's hunches were usually spot on. If he had the same feeling she did, they were in trouble.

Her whole body felt like it was itching when they did a careful sweep of the upper floor of the memorial. It was exactly as they left it, putrid Super Mutant parts and all. Leyah had to stop herself from sprinting down the stairs. "Please be here," she whispered, hurrying to the back room.

Only to find her note exactly where she left it.

All at once, her whole body felt weak and a soft sob left her as she collapsed to the floor. He wasn't here, which meant something was wrong. He had at least three weeks on them and that was plenty of time for him to be back here.

Jesus, she had to pull herself together. She had to plan. She had to find him, for better or worse.

Maverick knelt down next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close to him as tears started to fall. "Shit," she hissed, brushing them away.

Maverick pecked her temple and tightened his hold on her. "We'll find him. I promise."

Leyah bit back another sob and she nodded.

If she and Maverick could get this far, they could find her dad.

She knew they could.