Chapter 25

The sun shining through the window was what woke Danse up. He was on his back with the covers pulled up to his torso with Kait still asleep next to him, her head resting on his chest.

Danse smiled to her and gently stroked her hair. She told him that she loved him and he couldn't ask for anything better. He never knew that he could love anything outside of the Brotherhood but here she was. The exception. She showed up in his life and gave him a feeling that he had never experienced before and he would never take it back.

They were both still undressed and when he tried to sit up so he could put his clothes back on, Kait's arms suddenly tightened around the Paladin.

"Mmm.. where're you going…?" Kait said groggily as her eyes were still closed.

Danse relaxed back on the bed and rubbed her bare shoulder now, "I need to return to the Prydwen."

He could feel Kait's weight shift as she exhaled deeply, "I know.."

Danse stayed where he was when Kait rose to sit up. The covers slid off her back and Danse enjoyed the view he got. Kait sleepily rubbed her eyes before she started getting up but not without getting her foot caught in the sheets first.

Danse chuckled as he watched her curse under her breath and grumble while wiggling her foot free. Danse sat up now and smiled with amusement when he witnessed her picking up his shirt and putting it on her. It was large on her and acted as a nightgown basically.

"I'm going to need that," Danse said as he retrieved his pants and pulled them on.

Kait smiled but dismissed him with her hand, "You'll get it in a moment, Paladin." She grabbed her pip boy and lit up the screen, groaning after she saw what she was looking for.

"What is it?" Danse asked while lacing up his boots.

Kait gave him a dull look, "It's 7:22. I'm tired."

Danse didn't understand, "You've gotten up earlier before on less sleep."

Kait smiled vaguely, "Yeah, well, I'm more exhausted than usual."

Ah, Danse got it. He smiled a little when he stood. He stepped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I don't know why," he leaned down and gave the good side of her face a kiss. He now tugged on his shirt that she stole, "I need this."

Kait shrugged him off with a laugh, "Fine." She pulled his shirt back off over her head and tossed it to him. She was dressed in just a couple minutes and retrieved Nate's necklace before returning it to be around her neck again. She looked around the room as if searching for something. "I'll meet you outside."

Danse nodded to her with his shirt on now. He needed to gather his things that he left in the other building anyways. As soon as Danse was gone, Kait subconsciously placed a hand on her stomach. What if she was pregnant? She would know by now if she was after their first time but if they kept getting together then it was bound to happen unless being frozen for nearly 200 plus years somehow messed her body up. Kait highly doubted that though. She pushed her messy bangs back to be out of her face as she sighed dreadfully. She wasn't going to bother Danse with her worries.

Kait was outside and some of the others were still up; Preston because he was an overachiever, Nick because, well, he's a synth and he didn't sleep, and Curie because she always had something to do to advance her studies.

"Good morning doll," Nick said as soon as Kait entered the building that they all always gather at. Danse was in there grabbing a belt of supplies that he had brought and the detective was reading an old newspaper print of one of Piper's stories.

Kait took a seat next to him on the couch and leaned back, "Good morning Valentine."

Nick smiled at her when he watched her tiredly rub her eyes, "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

Kait smiled after a yawn and shook her head, "No, I'm fine. I'll be fine in like an hour."

Nick nodded and looked ahead of him now to Danse finishing with what he was doing. "Are you leaving Danse?"

Danse latched the belt around him and almost didn't hear the detective at first; he didn't expect a synth to actually address him. He looked up to meet golden eyes looking at him and he quickly regained his composure, "Yes. It's time I returned to the Prydwen." The Paladin went to take his leave but obviously hesitated in his step. He stopped himself from giving Kait a glance. They had to hide their relationship from the Brotherhood, at least for now until Kait was fully trusted again, but he was unaware if she wanted her friends to know or not.

Danse, giving Kait a professional look instead, spoke like a true Paladin with authority, "We expect you to return without being gone too long, Knight."

Kait knew why he spoke the way he did and wanted to say something else to him but chose to bow her head like a good soldier, "Of course."

Kait watched him leave and failed to hear Nick speaking to her; she didn't want to have Danse leave like that.

"Kait?" Nick asked.

Kait glanced at Nick now that she realized that he was trying to talk to her and she apologized immediately, "I'm sorry Nick. I'll be back real quick."

Kait left the building and once outside, she caught the sight of Deacon walking outside of the house he bunked at as well as Hancock and Cait from another. "Hey Danse!" Kait called. She slowed her step to a jog as she was close enough to him, "Wait."

Danse stopped walking from her voice and turned to face her. She stopped right in front of him with a wry smile placed across her lips.

"What is it?" Danse questioned. He knew what she wanted to do as soon as her hands slid across his face to be in his hair. He let her pull his head down to her and gladly accepted the way her lips belonged on his. Danse placed his hands on her waist during their kiss and he ignored every sound of those around him; the rest of the world didn't matter to him at that moment.

"I'll see you soon," Kait breathed softly as soon as the kiss was broken but with her hands still on him.

Danse smiled and gave her another sweet, small kiss, "Don't be gone too long. …. Please. For me."

Kait slid her hands down to be placed against his chest now, "Okay, I won't."

Danse backed away from her with his eyes still locked to hers. He bowed his head to her before turning to take his leave. Kait smiled broadly had her hand placed on her cheek with her pinky occasionally stroking her lips. She loved him. She didn't think she'd ever know love again but she did. At first, she wouldn't make herself be happy. She didn't want to be; didn't think she deserved to be but now, all she wanted to do was to have Danse around her. The way he made her heart race, how he made her face hot, and how much he made her want him beyond control was something she never wanted to let go of.

She looked over beside her when he felt the arm of someone get put around her and was greeted by Deacon.

"What exactly was that?" he asked and gave her a look behind his sunglasses.

Kait grinned and shrugged dumbly, "What was what?"

Deacon knew she was going to play the difficult one so he spoke suspiciously, "Where exactly did the two of you go last night?"

"I went to sleep," Kait said casually.

"With the soldier boy?" Deacon teased.

Kait shrugged again, "I don't know what you're getting at." She gave him a smile and they started walking back to the others while they talked.

"So what's the plan for today, Boss?" Deacon asked, his arm no longer around her.

Kait was serious now, "I was actually thinking of seeing Shaun again."

"Oh yeah, about that," They stopped walking as the Railroad agent began. "I managed to find a place for you. You know.. if Shaun was still a kid. I found a place to hide you two. I didn't mention it earlier because I don't know how much of a point there is for it now."

Kait had almost forgot that she requested that from him, "Really?" She stayed silent while she thought for a moment. It was true that she didn't need to run anymore but what if something happened where just she needed to hide? "Thank you Deacon," Kait said. "If you need to use it for someone else, then please do but if things don't work out between the Brotherhood or the Institute and I, then I might still need it."

Deacon gave her a reassuring smile, "Then it'll stay open for you. If that time ever comes, you know where to find me and I'll get you there."

"Thank you so much," Kait was immensely grateful for his help.

The next few hours in Sanctuary involved a lot of confrontation from the others, especially Cait, about Kait's and Danse's newly revealed relationship but the survivor just dismissed them all. Kait showered, ate breakfast and got all her things together before she was ready to return to the Institute. With some final departure words, she tapped her destination and was gone.

When she found Shaun, he was discussing something with another scientist when Kait entered the room. The scientist saw Kait first and redirected Shaun's attention towards her even though she stood there patiently.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Kait spoke uncomfortably as Shaun stopped speaking to look at her.

Shaun's eyes lit up. It seemed that he really did enjoy seeing his own mother, "Oh no, you're perfectly fine. We were just finishing up."

"I'll make the necessary adjustments right away," the scientist said to Shaun.

Shaun glanced in the other man's direction and nodded, "Very well. Let me know how it goes."

When the other man left the room, Shaun immediately approached Kait with a wide smile, "It's always nice to see you, mother. What brings you here? Have you thought about what I've said?"

Kait walked with Shaun as he motioned her to join him. "A little," Kait answered. They walked up to a balcony that overlooked the marvelously constructed Institute. "I really just came to see you."

Shaun smiled at her words, "Well, I always enjoy your company. But it's a good thing you're here. There's actually something I'd like to ask of you."

Kait was leaning on the railing of the balcony but stood up straight now as she looked up at her tall son. "What is it?"

Shaun looked out to overlook the Institute, "There's a certain matter that requires immediate attention and I'd like you to be the one to take care of it." She watched as her son's chest rose and fell with a deep breath, "Unfortunately, every so often, a synth manages to escape and an organization on the surface, known as the Railroad, likes to uninvitingly involve themselves in our situation by helping them hide from us. They wipe the synth's memories and give them a new life to live on the surface. Well, one in particular lately has been found and the new life they have chose to live is an unpleasant one. The synth, F6-13, has become the head of a small cult and has a group of Raiders backing him."

It took only a second for Shaun's words to hit her like a ton of bricks. Kait masked her emotions too well at the mention of the runaway synth. F6-13 was the synth that she and Deacon helped escape some time ago. She parted her lips to make herself speak, "You want me to bring him back?"

Shaun now looked at her, "Yes. I have a Courser ready to meet you on the surface if you so choose to help. He has the recon code for F6-13 and after you deactivate him, X6-88 will then take care of the rest."

Kait only assumed that the X6 he was talking about had to be the Courser but she questioned anyways, "Why do you need me if your Courser is already ready with the recon code?"

Shaun spoke as if he knew she'd ask that, "There's a lot of resistance and even a Courser could use some assistance. …. So what do you say?" Shaun watched the hesitation flash across his mother's face so he quickly added in, "If it makes you feel any better, this won't make you a full part of the Institute if you're still unsure. This is merely a task for you to possibly see our ways. Maybe after you're done, you'll then come to see what we truly stand for and what we're trying to accomplish."

His words did reassure Kait. She really was still unsure if she agreed with the Institute's beliefs, that being mainly because her dear friends, and just everyone in the Commonwealth, are against them and everywhere one can turn has something to say about how awful the Institute is. So everything up to that point that she's had to learn all told her to destroy what her own son had come to lead.

"Okay," Kait finally spoke. "I'll do it."

A wide, proud smile formed on his lips, "Great." He motioned for her to show her pip boy, "I'll show you where it is."

When Kait arrived at her destination, she met X6-88, the Courser that would be accompanying her. He was tall, mysterious, and overall emotionless. Kait was uncomfortable just being in the vicinity of him and loathed when he would glance in her direction, even if he did cover his eyes with sunglasses. He was cold and ruthless and she longed to be far from him as soon as she could.

X6 took the lead as he charged towards the old school building where F6 was holed up in with the others. There were raiders outside and Kait provided cover fire while the Courser ran down to be in the middle of the action. Watching him drop raiders left and right sent a hard chill down Kait's spine. He was very good at his job; too good at killing and that was disturbing. What would happen if he was sent after her if things didn't go so well between her and the Institute? She doubted that she could stand a chance alone with him and didn't want to see any of her friends die for her if she needed help.

When it was clear, X6 motioned for her to join him, which she did and the two entered through the front entrance to the school. The inside was dimly lit. A lot of the light was from the sun outside shining brightly through holes in the roof. Kait found herself covering her nose due to the thick stench of blood and possibly deceased bodies rotting and corrupting the air. She glanced at the Courser that was about a foot in front of her and noticed how he seemed unaffected by what was phasing her. He crouched and began to move onward stealthily and Kait found herself following him.