Nadia and Hancock hung around the Castle for a couple weeks helping to get the place prepared for the Minutemen to use as their headquarters. Fort Independence had seen better days, two of her walls had gaping holes in them and needed extensive repairs. They also had to get the radio transmitter up and running, clean out all the nastiness from the mirelurk infestation, construct and install a water purifier, plus plant enough crops to support their burgeoning numbers. The task had been daunting, leaving Nadia very little time to worry about whatever was bothering Hancock. Luckily, he also seemed too tired to worry… so that had worked out rather nicely in her opinion.

Preston had been right, though. Now that the Castle was in working order, it really was the ideal location for the Minutemen to call home and with the radio transmitter functioning they could get messages to her without her having to come to Preston in person. She was secretly worried that was going to be both a blessing and a curse. She knew what a difference she and Hancock were making, but every now and then she wished she could just take a vacation. She was being pulled in so many directions that it could be overwhelming. At least she had Hancock, her one constant in all the craziness.

After leaving the Castle they headed back to Diamond City, determined to stay there until Nick talked to them. The detective had dodged them for far too long and they weren't taking no for an answer this time. They walked into Valentine's office and were surprised to find him sitting at his desk with Dogmeat at his side. The synth chuckled at the surprised looks on their faces while Dogmeat ran to greet Nadia.

"What? You didn't really think I'd hide from my best friends forever, did ya? Your faith in me is touching," he said with a sardonic smirk. "Plus, I kind of need your help settling an old debt."

Nick looked up at Nadia from under his dirty old fedora, a look of apprehension clear on his man-made face. She had to admit that no matter how fucking evil the Institute was, they sure were brilliant. Even falling apart, Nick sure was something and she couldn't imagine a world without him in it. She absently stroked Dogmeat's head as the detective took a deep breath before continuing.

"I don't think there's exactly been an equitable distribution of information between you and me, kid. I've gotten a decent glimpse into your dirty laundry, but you still don't really know a whole heck of a lot about me. I figure it's about time to balance the board."

"Sounds fair, but don't feel like you owe it to me. If anything, Nick, I owe you." Nadia meant it, too. She cared about Nick because of who he was now and everything he had done to help her, a stranger. She didn't need to know his past, but if he wanted to share it with her she more than happy to listen. She sank down into the chair in front of his desk for the second time, relieved that this time he was the one that was going to be spilling his guts instead of her.

"You don't owe me a damn thing," he said, narrowing his piercing yellow eyes at her. "That's not the point though. I got some old memories, pre-War, faded all to heck, of guys dressed like this, doin' what I do. Puttin' on the hat and trench coat, I figured it let folks know I was serious about the whole thing. 'Clothes make the man' and all that. Guess I felt they made me the man I wanted to be."

"And did they?" She asked quietly, glancing up as Hancock slipped passed them. The ghoul settled into Ellie's chair, propping his booted feet up on the edge of her desk while he flipped open his tin of Mentats.

"Well that's the million dollar question now, ain't it? See, I know I'm a synth, authentic Institute handiwork. But I'm still mechanical, not bioengineered like the fancy synths giving everyone the willies these days. I get tune-ups, not check-ups. But my memories, my personality, they're all lifted from some cop who volunteered for an experiment back before the war. They scanned his brain and copied it into the hardware that runs between my ears." He paused, trying to gage her reaction, but she kept her expression neutral. She wanted to hear more before she responded. "Don't know why they chose to make a robot based on some pre-War cop instead of a math genius or a bioengineer. But hey, maybe that's why the Institute tossed me in the garbage instead of turning me into one of their people snatchers."

"I still can't believe anyone would throw you out, Nick. You're a fucking keeper if I ever saw one. Just one more reason the Institute needs a lesson on playing nice." The look on his face sure was a sight. It was somewhere between pleased and embarrassed. The more she learned about the Institute the more she hated them, if that was even possible.

"I'm glad you think so, cause here's where the favor comes in. I wouldn't even bring this up if I didn't trust you. For as long as I can remember, I've been getting these… flashes. Memories of places I've never been. Things I've never seen. Memories of Nick's." He almost spits out the name, mouth curling in dislike around it. "They're not bad. They're just… They're just this inescapable reminder. That I'm not the person I think I am. That I'm not a person at all. I'm just a machine, pretending to be human."

"I refuse to accept that. You think. You feel. I see it in your eyes, even if they do look a bit different, it's there. You're more than pretending."

"I'm with her on this, pal. Man-made or not, you're one of the best people I know." Hancock interjected. He sat up, letting his feet slide off the desk and leaned forward.

"Nice of you to say, but your kind don't usually have to deal with someone else's whole life trapped inside their skulls. Don't get me wrong. I know I'm in Nick's debt. These memories, they've kept me alive. Nick was a hell of a cop, a guy with good instincts and a good heart."

"Yeah, I know the type." Nadia said with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"I've always counted myself lucky they didn't load me up with some ex-con or whatever type might volunteer to let folks tinker with their gray matter. But it's thanks to Nick that I pass for human. Why I get to live cushy in Diamond City and every other synth is shot on sight. I know I got it good, but… my entire life I owe to Nick. Everything that makes me who I am – my judgement, my speech, hell, even my name – they're his." Nick's voice was sounding more and more agitated, in a way Nadia had never heard before. "And I can't do a damn thing about it because without them… without them I'm nothing. A shell. All I want is a life where I have something I can call my own and I don't think I can do that until I have paid Nick back for everything he's done for me."

"I see what you're saying, but how are you going to pay back a dead man?"

"Once upon a time in the land of Boston, there lived a king of organized crime. Eddie Winter. He was a bad man who did a lot of bad things." Nadia's eyes had gone round at the name, lips hanging slightly open in surprise. Eddie Winter was a name everyone in her time knew, especially in Boston. Crime boss and grade A scum bag, Winter had literally gotten away with murder. Lots of murders. And then he had disappeared. "I see you recognize the name. He hurt a lot of innocent people. But he knew the end was coming. So he sealed himself inside a personal shelter, located underneath the sub shop he used as a headquarters."

"How come I get the feeling there's more to this?"

"Cause you've got pretty good instincts yourself. The story gets even more twisted. The arrogant bastard wanted to cheat death. Live forever… So he could come out of that shelter someday, into this brave new world. Only Eddie didn't want to be a frozen banana. No cryo sleep for him. No, he invested his money in a crazy radiation experiment. Sound familiar?" Nick turned to look over his shoulder at his best friend, enjoying the stunned look on the ghoul's face. "Surprised someone beat you to the punch? Eddie Winter turned himself into a ghoul two-hundred years before it was fashionable. Hell, he was probably the first one. And I'm convinced that he's still locked inside that shelter. Safe and sound. Ready to come out, and begin his evil reign all over again. I'm going to find him and kill him. You in?"

"Did you even have to ask?" Nadia said with a slow smile. She was happy for the opportunity to pay him back for all the risks he had taken for her.

Nick was glad they were friends, because the twinkle in her eye was more than a little crazy and he wouldn't want to be on her bad side. Maybe she was spending too much time with John, because Nick had seen that look in his friend's eyes, before and after they turned black, more times than he cared to think about.

"I'm obviously in, but how come I get the feeling you're leaving something out? This sounds personal, like some kind of vendetta." Hancock peered at the back of the synth's head, "You've never really been an eye for an eye kind of guy, Nicky. Is our girl rubbing off on you?"

"Maybe she is and I was getting there, John. Sit back and suck a Mentat, why don't ya?" Nick shot at his friend without bothering to turn around, winking at Nadia with a mischievous little smirk.

"Don't mind if I do…" Hancock said under his breath as he took another of the chalky pills out of the tin in his hand, threw it up into the air and caught it in his mouth. Nadia laughed at the satisfied grin on his face. He was such a show off.

"As I was saying… I've got memories. Of a… Of a girl. My girl." Nick wouldn't meet her eyes as he spoke, lips pressed into a tight line as he looked away. When he started talking again his voice was so low that Nadia had to lean forward just to catch it. "They're not really my memories, I know that. They're Nick's. But the girl… she was real. She was beautiful, and innocent… And Winter killed her. Now he's got to pay the price."

And just like that, all the headlines came rushing back to her through the void between her first life and this one. Jennifer Lands was her name, the beautiful fiancé of the cop after Winter. Her picture had been all over the news, people outraged at her murder and calling for justice. She had long, elegantly wavy red hair and a smile that seemed to stretch for miles. She had been movie star gorgeous, complete with a little Marilyn Monroe beauty mark and bright, clear blue eyes the color of a perfect spring sky. Nadia had been at home with a brand new Shaun, who barely slept, when the story had broken. She remembered crying, clutching Shaun to her shoulder, as the pert, blonde news anchor reported the details of the case with a solemn expression.

"Jennifer… I remember. The story was all over the news. Oh, Nick... I am so sorry." How many times was she going to have to say those words to someone that had lost the person they loved? She knew her Nick wasn't the one that had physically been with the murdered beauty, but that didn't matter. Perception is everything and she was sure that to him, he had been the one holding her in his arms, feeling her lips on his. She didn't even know what to say. The situation was so fucked up. However, Nick's agreeing to help her take revenge on Kellogg was starting to make a whole lot more sense. It had always seemed a little out of character for him, but now she knew. He was all too familiar with the how it felt to have the person you loved taken from you, because the original Nick's grief lived within him.

"Why am I just now hearing about this?" It was obvious that Hancock was hurt his friend hadn't confided in him sooner.

"Because up until recently I didn't have a way in. I've known where Winter's vault is, but the door is sealed with a complex numerical code. Lucky for us, Winter's arrogance knew no bounds. Back in the day, he recorded ten holotapes, incriminating different associates of his. On each one he hid a single number. I managed to find one of the holotapes in the Cambridge Police evidence lock-up before getting swarmed by ferals. Dogmeat has been helping me track down the rest of them and we just found the last one. I've finally got the means to crack open the bastard's little haven. There hasn't been a reason to bring it up before now."

Hancock wasn't satisfied with Nick's answer, but what was he supposed to say? It stung though, knowing his best friend had kept such a big part of his life from him.

"And here I thought you were just throwing yourself a pity party while you were away. Good to know you were up to something productive." Hancock laughed at the unamused look Nick shot him as he turned to face the ghoul. "Only question is, Alice, are you sure you wanna jump down this particular rabbit hole?"

Nadia almost asked him how he knew about Alice and her white rabbit, but stopped herself. After all, she had found a ton of books hidden under their bed at the State House. When she had asked him why they were hidden, his only answer had been a comment about the value of being underestimated. She smiled, remembering the cheeky smile that had accompanied his explanation.

"Without a doubt." Nick's voice sounded like the steel he was made from and Hancock nodded once, satisfied.

"Then I think I speak for both of us when I say, we're in."

Nadia and Hancock were back in their regular room at the Dugout Inn, knocking back whiskey and discussing the day's events. They were both still processing all the new information they had learned about their friend, but Hancock seemed especially upset. He had known about the original Nick, but he hadn't known about Jennifer. Nadia didn't get why he was so upset, everyone was entitled to their secrets in her opinion.

"Babe, is there a reason you took things so personally today with Nick?" She was hesitant to bring it up, but the silence was getting oppressive and all her other attempts at conversation had been responded to with nothing but noncommittal grunts.

Hancock took another swig from the bottle in his hands before looking at her and sighing.

"I'm acting like a bitch, aren't I?"

"I don't know… that might be giving bitches a bad name." She tried to keep the smile off her face, but he laughingly elbowed her, knocking it loose. At least she had gotten a laugh from him. That was definitely a step in the right direction.

"Thanks, dove. You're so sweet," his voice dripped with sarcasm as he draped an arm around her shoulders. "It's just that, Nick is the only person who knows all my secrets and I thought I knew his. I'm kinda feelin' like he doesn't trust me."

Nadia was curious about these secrets of his, but she would never ask him to reveal something he wasn't ready to.

"In all fairness, it's not really his secret. Or anyone's. It's a dead man's past."

"That's not how it is for him and you know it."

"Yeah, but maybe that's how he needs it to be, John. I wouldn't take it personally."

Hancock nodded, but she could see that he wasn't taking her words to heart. She took the whiskey bottle from him and knocked back a few healthy swallows of the amber liquid. At least she could say she tried, but this was something John and Nick were going to have to work out on their own.

"Are you sure he's down here, Nicky? Cause I've 'bout reached my Raider quota for the day." Hancock reloaded his shotgun a little more forcefully than was necessary, glaring at the detective from under his tricorn. Nick was so focused on finally avenging Jennifer that he had been paying zero attention to Hancock's snotty demeanor. Nadia was still surprised that his feelings were as hurt as they were, because he usually shrugged things off so easily.

"Oh, he's here alright. Almost there."

They were in a cavernous brick walled room, large industrial pipes jutting in and out of the ground and walls. Broken bricks littered the packed dirt floor and water pooled, seeping from cracks in the rusted pipes. There was a single red light casting its bloody glare down upon them, reminding Nadia of Fort Hagen and the last time the three of them were out for vengeance. She was more than happy to be playing a supporting role this time around. Regardless of Hancock's uncharacteristic dourness, Nadia was glad to be there helping Nick. He was a better friend than any of the ones she had pre-War combined and she was so grateful for him.

She followed Nick around a corner and down a narrow tunnel, his trench coat flapping around his calves as he jogged. They came to another large room, but Nadia didn't have time to notice anything other than a couple of metal lawn chairs set up side by side as she ran over the metal grate floor. After a few more turns, they were plunged into darkness. She switched on her Pip-Boy light and realized they were finally at their destination.

"That filthy toad's right on the other side of that door. Why don't you do the honor, John?"

"Sure," Hancock said as he stepped up to the panel in the wall to the right of the door. Nadia could hear him mumbling the code to himself as he spun the metal dials into the rights positions. He stepped back as the door swung open, glancing over at Nick as he lifted his shotgun. Nick stepped through the door and into the well-lit room, .44 at the ready and head held high.

"What the fuck?!" A ghoul walked into view, the surprise showing clearly on his ruined visage was quickly replaced by anger. "Who the fuck are you? Or should I ask what?" The ghoul had almost an entire head of gray hair and was dressed in khakis and a white button up. He was clearly startled to have his solitude so abruptly interrupted.

"I guess you can call me your comeuppance, Winter. It took me a little longer than planned, but I was always gonna catch up to ya."

"What?" The ghoul looked from Nick's metal hand to the missing skin of his face and then shook his head, continuing on as if Nick had never spoken. "Just how the fuck did you…" and then the answer hit him without them saying a word. "No. No way. Not after all this time. Don't tell me you actually cracked my code? In the holotapes?" He paused, looking upset and then burst out in laughter. "Well, hey, it's only been… what? Two hundred years?" Another laugh erupted from Eddie and Nadia could tell that Nick was losing his patience. Winter sure didn't realize yet how truly fucked he was. Nadia smiled. Go ahead and laugh, asshole…

"Well look," the ghoul continued, wiping the corner of his eye, "I'm not sure what you thought you'd find – gold, jewels, the secrets of the universe. But you get me. One guy. A 'ghoul,' I guess you'd call me. Just living. Surviving. And what I got, you can't have. That code… it was a joke. I just wanted to prove how dumb those feds were. Turns out, pretty dumb. So take your asses someplace else." His voice dropped to a threatening tone as he stood to his full height, raising his chin. Nadia chuckled under her breath, amused that he seemed to think that was going to intimidate them.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get what I came for." Nick sounded almost casual if you didn't know him, but Nadia could hear the threat in his voice that apparently Eddie couldn't.

"Yeah? And what's that? And who are you, huh? You look kinda familiar. But… what are you, some kind of robot? Is that what it's like out there now? A world of robot overlords? I knew it."

Nick smiled slowly, savoring the moment. "The name's Valentine. Nick Valentine. Remember me?"

"Valentine? The cop?" For the first time Winter actually sounded worried, but then he collected himself, voice turning flippant. "Is that who you're supposed to be? Sorry pal, but you ain't Nick Valentine. You're just some kind of machine."

"You killed my fiancé. Jennifer Lands. There are some crimes even you can't get away with, Winter." Nick stared down the barrel of his pistol, hands and voice steady.

"Your fiancé?" A bark of a laugh forced its way out as he shook his head, "You mean Valentine's fiancé? Pretty girl. A shame what happened to her." His voice was taunting as he tilted his head to the side, meeting Nick's gaze. "But hey you… or, you know… the real Valentine. He shoulda backed off when he had the chance. But what gives, robot man? Why do you even care? Some girl gets whacked two hundred years ago and you come into my home, acting like a hard guy? Christ, look at you. You're not even alive."

"Then I guess I'm in good company." Nick didn't want to hear another word. He had already let the prick live too far past his expiration date as it was. "This is for Jennifer."

Winter reached for his piece, panic erupting on his leathery face, but he had over played his hand. Nick squeezed the trigger and the last thing Eddie saw before the bullet blew out the back of his skull was the detective's sinister smile.

The three of them stared down at the body for a beat before Hancock stepped forward, placing a hand on Nick's shoulder.

"You got 'im, brother. It's over."

"There's one more thing I've got to do. I…" he paused, finding Hancock's eyes with his own, "I wouldn't mind the company, if you wanted to tag along."

"I've come this far, haven't I?"

"This is it. In this spot, two hundred years ago, one of Eddie's boys put a bullet in Jenny Land's back. Now Eddie's as dead as Jenny and Nick. And I… I am at a loss." Nick was down on his knees, his metal hand pressed into the cracked pavement. Nadia knew he was picturing it, seeing his girl bleed out on the side of the road all alone. She was wrong, though. That wasn't it at all.

Nick was going to sweat through his shirt. He reached up, pulling his tie loose and yanking the top couple of buttons open with one hand. He looked to his left smiling down at the beautiful dame on his arm. He would never know what a class act like Jenny saw in an old detective like him. She was so far out of his league, yet here they were.

"How can you be hot?" Jenny asked with a musical laugh. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, squeezing the arm she had hers linked through. "It might be spring, but it's still chilly." As if to corroborate her claim, an icy breeze blew past them sweeping her ginger hair up into a playful dance. She giggled, releasing his arm so she could tidy her wavy locks. Nick wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, taking a deep breath.

"Hey, I've got an idea." He hoped his words sounded casual and not like he had rehearsed them too many times to count. "Why don't we watch the sunset from the bandstand?"

"Sounds perfect."

They had spent many evenings strolling through the Boston Common since they had first met there over a year ago and she had eagerly accepted his invitation when he had asked. The sun was just starting to set when they neared the Parkman Bandstand. They ascended the stone staircase and as he pulled her towards the middle of the round structure all he could hear was the frantic pounding of his heart. His hand found hers and he spun her around to face him, pulling her into his arms. The brilliant sunset played on her pale skin as he tipped her chin up and kissed her softly, pulling her against him with a firm hand on her hip. She sighed into the kiss, relaxing into him. Her little sounds of enjoyment ran through him like electricity. He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as she smiled up at him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and he knew she could feel him shaking. Before he could chicken out he dropped to one knee before her.

Jennifer's hands flew to her mouth and he could already see her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Jenny, love, from the first moment I saw you I knew that you were something special, that I had to be around you. What I didn't know was that a dame like you would even bother with a man like me. I don't know how I ever caught the attention of such a spectacular woman… You're so kind and loving. You light up everything and everyone around you, doll. You're beautiful inside and out. I know I don't deserve you, but I'm kinda hoping you'll have me anyway." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. It was just a simple solitaire, not even a whole carat, but it had taken him months of saving to buy it for her on his cop's salary. He held the ring out and it took all his courage to look into those beautiful blues of hers and say the next words. "Jennifer Land, I love you. Will you marry me?"

She dropped to her knees next to him, throwing herself into his arms. "Oh, Nick! I love you, too! Of course I'll marry you!" And then she was kissing him and he was wrapping his arms around her, pulling her as close as possible. He wasn't sure how long they knelt there, drowning in each other. All he knew were her lips, her hands on the back of his neck as she pulled him into her with a fierce urgency. Eventually he pulled back with a happy laugh, smiling down at the best thing that would ever happen to him, wiping the tears that had spilled down her cheeks with his thumb.

"You didn't even look at the ring, doll." Which only confirmed what he already knew.

"I don't have to look at it to know it's perfect for me. Just like you." Her voice was breathier than normal as Nick took her much smaller hand in his, surprised to find that she was trembling. In the last rays of a Boston sunset Nick Valentine slipped the ring on to the finger of his dream girl and he knew he was the luckiest man in the world.

Nick stood up, turning his back to his best friends. It didn't matter how many times he told himself she was never his, his heart refused to listen. He felt Nadia wrap her arms around him and he hugged her close, needing the comfort as he wondered if he was doomed to forever be in love with a dead woman he had never even met.