Shaun narrowed his eyes at the reports in front of him. He was relieved, but surprised to see his suspicions unfounded. I usually have such good instincts for these things. He truly thought he had missed something about Nora. Everything had seemed to be going well, but then there was the whole debacle with the Minutemen. He had been sure there was more to it than the obvious, but if there was, none of Adriana's friends were privy to it. Surely if this were all a part of some elaborate plan, they would seem happy, as opposed to more depressed.

After reading through the reports once more, Shaun tucked them into a manilla folder and pushed his chair away from his desk. He dug his keys out of his coat pocket as he walked over to the file cabinet that contained his most sensitive intel reports, most of them pertaining to his mother. It hadn't been difficult to slip operatives into her vicinity. Sanctuary welcomed anyone and the only challenge with Goodneighbor had been finding someone willing to live among the ghouls and their rampant chem use.

By all accounts, Adriana's friends had finally given up on her, separating and starting to move on with their lives. The reports weren't very long or detailed since he had put a rush on the intel; it had only been a few days since the incident, after all. This is promising, though. Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe it's time to start including her in some of our more controversial work.

Shaun closed the drawer after filing the reports, locked them away, and returned to his computer to flip through the security cameras, looking for Nora. He started with the camera in her room, but it was vacant. It took a few moments, but he finally found her in the cafeteria eating lunch with Dr. Li. It was nice to see her finally making an effort to socialize. Hopefully, this was an indication that she was finally settling in.

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Adriana had decided Dr. Li was going to be her first target. She had gotten the distinct impression that maybe the woman was less than happy with her current situation. This approach would take time, though. She couldn't just come out and ask her, Adriana had to earn the doctor's trust. This was just day one. They chatted over lunch, not about anything important, and then Adriana excused herself, heading back to her room. Pretending to be Nora was exhausting and rather boring.

Yesterday, while Father had been closeted with his board of directors discussing their new plan of action to deal with the Minutemen, she had snuck into his quarters and hacked into his terminal. She had been right, the ass was spying on her. His office was one of the only places without video surveillance. She cycled through the feeds, mentally mapping out blind spots. The only good thing she discovered was that their wasn't a lot of audio being recorded. Just in my room, of course. Well, that and the fact that the bathroom seemed to be about as safe as it got around here. She could feel Nora's disbelief at what she had discovered.

"See? He's spying on you," Adriana thought pointedly.

"That just means he has good instincts," Nora thought back. Adriana was dismayed by a sudden feeling of smug pride.

"Whatever you have to tell yourself. We both know that you're just as unsettled as I am. Now go away. I have work to do."

Adriana made it back to her quarters and went straight into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. Shaun probably thought she had some kind of weird germophobia with how many showers she was taking, but it was the only way to assure herself some privacy and she definitely didn't want him watching what she was about to do. I already have one constant observer and three's a crowd, after all.

She turned on the water and undressed, checking the temperature before stepping in. Missing Hancock was a constant ache. She tried to keep him far from her mind, not wanting to share even the thought of him with the bitch in her mind, but the need of him was overwhelming. She leaned back against the cool tiles of the shower wall, enjoying the sharp contrast of hot and cold. In some ways, that was her and Hancock. He was rough while she was smooth. He was hot anger while she cool, calculated precision.

She thought about that night in the tower, how he had pulled the zipper of her dress down with agonizing slowness. She remembered what it had felt like when he pushed the dress off her shoulders, his hands brushing across the tops of her shoulders, tantalizingly. She closed her eyes, imagining his lips on her fevered flesh, his hands on her waist pulling her against him.

Her hand slid down between her thighs and she tried to pretend it was Hancock's fingers entering her instead of her own. She pressed the palm of her hand against her clit, working her fingers deeper.

"Wait- you're telling me you actually had sex with that.. Thing?! With MY body?!"

Adriana sighed, throwing her head back into the wall of the shower, just hard enough to hurt.

What I wouldn't give for a little god damn privacy.

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After several days of nonstop work for the Railroad, Deacon was finally heading back to Goodneighbor and, most importantly, Talitha. As riveting as endless debriefings are, it's nice to be away from HQ again. Deacon was a field agent for a reason; he didn't play nice with others. Especially when those others doubted him.

He had been afraid to tell anyone other than Dez about his suspicions regarding Adriana, but luckily he didn't have to yet. She had agreed that it was safer for Adriana if as few people as possible knew. Dez already had a no-kill order issued on Nora and she had reaffirmed that it was still in place during the briefings. Carrington and a few others had voiced their disagreement, but Dez had silenced them with nothing more than a pointed look.

After a quick, and disappointing, check of the nearby drops, he retrieved his wig. A few quick disguise adjustments and he was hightailing it back towards those neon lights.

He entered the town and he wasn't but a few steps in when he heard Talitha's bright laugh. She was sitting at the small table just inside of the shop, chatting with the owner. Daisy's delightfully raspy laugh joined Talitha's and Deacon smiled. Strolling casually to the bench right outside, Deacon flopped down, pulling out a Grognak comic he had folded in half in his back pocket. He didn't have to pretend to read long, because he caught her eyeing him discreetly out of his peripherals. She waited several moments before making her excuses to Daisy and leaving the store. He couldn't have been more proud of her when she walked by him without so much as a glance.

He gave her a head start before stretching and standing up casually, returning the comic to his back pocket. He had almost passed the alley on his right when he caught a glimpse of her. He turned, following her around the corner of the warehouse and out of sight.

They didn't speak, they just picked up where they had left off. He pinned her against the bricks, covering her mouth with his. She moaned, arching her back, her breasts pressing firmly against him. He slid a hand into her hair, grabbing it firmly and using it to turn her head to the side, revealing her slender, scarred neck. He started just below her ear, trailing kisses down until he reached her collarbone, enjoying the way she shuddered under his touch and the needy sounds that left her mouth as she clutched at his hips, trying to pull him closer.

"Go rent a room at the Rexford," he whispered after working his way back up her neck to her ear.

She nodded and he kissed her once more before stepping back. He noticed that she seemed a little unsteady on her feet and smiled to himself, readjusting himself inside his jeans. Me too, babe. Me, too.

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Talitha left the door to the room unlocked before crossing to sit on the edge of the bed. Her heart rate increasing with every passing minute, knowing that each one brought her closer to being in Deacon's arms once more. If she hadn't been staring at the door, she might not have noticed the knob turn. She sat up straighter, but when the door opened, there was no one there. Well, no one I can see…

The door closed softly in its frame and she sat, tense with anticipation, waiting to see what would happen next. She couldn't hear even the faintest footfall, but after a few agonizing moments she could feel the gentle pressure of fingers, his fingers, trailing up her thighs. She moaned, arching her back, as his hands pulled her thighs apart. Her shirt raised, seemingly of its own accord, and then she could feel his warm breath as it ghosted over the curve of her hip.

When his warm lips met her chilled skin she couldn't keep from reaching, blindly, for his shoulders. He trailed kisses across her torso, ending just below her belly button. She could feel his hands on the button of her jeans, his hesitation a clear question.

Is this okay?

She smiled, fingers trailing up his neck and over the familiar plane of his cheek until her questing hands landed on the frames of his glasses. She pulled them off gently, smiling at the familiar sight of them in her hands, before folding them carefully and placing them on the bedside table.

With you? Of course.

She watched as the button worked itself free, shifting her weight so that her jeans could slide down her thighs, knees, then calves before being pulled free completely. His hands slid up her legs, feather soft kisses gracing her skin at random, unpredictable intervals. She was already quivering under his touch, the anticipation alone would have been enough to accomplish that, when she felt him press a kiss against the damp cloth of her panties.

Her hips jerked of their own accord and she could swear she felt him smiling against her in satisfaction. Hooking a finger around the small strip of fabric, he pulled it out of the way before running his tongue up the length of her. Her head fell back as her mouth uttered encouraging nonsense, pulling him closer. But in true Deacon fashion, you never could predict what was coming next.

Before she knew what was happening, she was laying down further up on the bed, his mouth on her neck, the familiar feel of him against her as he pushed one finger into her. She bit her lip as he entered her, choking back the sound of his name on her tongue. She wasn't sure if saying his name was off limits, if it would spoil the game, so she settled for more nonsensical mutterings instead.

Her fingers clawed at his back as his mouth found hers, the taste of him only making her want him more. He added another finger, stretching her pleasantly, as he nipped at her bottom lip.

"Please," she asked, a breathless whine.

And boy did he deliver.

He worked his fingers, curving them just right as she squirmed against him, trying to pull him closer. His mouth found her neck again as her hips moved, the two of them finding complementary rhythms, the tempo increasing as he brought her closer and closer to completion. Just when she was about to come, his thumb found her clit and she saw stars, her orgasm forcing his name from her mouth as he held her close, coaxing every ounce of pleasure from her willing body.

When she opened her eyes, his were above her, his smile coming in answer to hers.

"Well hey there, handsome," she said breathlessly.

"Hey there, yourself."

He moved, laying on his side and pulling her close to his chest, spoon style.

"Thank you."

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"I should be saying that to you," he said, pressing a kiss into the back of her head.

"How do you figure?"

He didn't answer right away, but she waited and her patience was eventually rewarded.

"Not everyone one is down to fool around with the invisible man."

She laughed, turning in his arms so she could face him.

"Only if that invisible man is you," she said, kissing the tip of his nose.

"I just-" he was interrupted by her lips on his.

"No explanation necessary."

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As Deacon stared into her eyes, he realized she actually did understand and that, more than anything else they had done, made his heart ache in a way he hadn't felt in what seemed like centuries. He held her close, trying in vain to keep one thought from his mind. How long before I lose you, too?

He kissed the top of her head, trying to focus on the gentle rhythm of her breath against his chest. Just focus on the here. Just focus on now.

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Adriana was itching to get some surface time. She was suffocating in sterile white and strict routine. Shaun hadn't said she wasn't allowed to take any missions, but he sure as hell wasn't assigning her, or X6, to any, though. They were clearly on punishment. Grudge holding child.

Adriana had to work not to sigh aloud. It was endlessly frustrating that every time she thought something uncharitable about Shaun, she was filled with anger and resentment that weren't her own, if only for a moment.

She was making slow progress with Dr. Li, at least. It was hard to gain the woman's trust after months of Nora stomping around, the picture of motherly devotion. She was making headway, though; she could feel it. She was just leaving the doctor's office, in fact, when X6 fell in step beside her.

"Ma'am."

"X," she replied with a stiff nod.

"You know you don't have to have permission to leave the compound, right?"

She would swear the sound of his voice qualified as sly.

"Oh?" She tilted her head, looking up at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Not if I go with you. For training purposes, of course. Wouldn't want to lose your edge."

"No, sure wouldn't want that," she said, fighting down a smile. She was enjoying the confusion that Nora was supplying. What? Didn't see that coming either?

X6 walked with her to her quarters so she could pick up her equipment and then they were off to the surface.

She stood, face lifted to the sky as a gentle breeze blew by her. The Wasteland, this was where she belonged. Nora might feel at home in the regimented atmosphere of the Institute, but not Adriana. She needed the unpredictability of the surface. Hell, what I really need is Hancock. She couldn't just run off to him, but she could do the next best thing. Time to make the rounds.

"Lead the way, ma'am."

Gladly. She stepped forward, confidently, holding her rifle up at the ready. She had her knife strapped to her thigh, something Nora wasn't known for doing regularly, but hopefully X6 didn't take note. She was dying for something up close and personal; damn her cover. X6 was just going to have to chalk it up to her having been caged for far too long.

In true Commonwealth fashion, not much time had elapsed before they came across a den of Super Mutants and Adriana grinned savagely. They weren't far from one of her and Deacon's private drops and she intended to use the fight as cover to do what she needed to. She signaled X6 to circle around as she stalked closer to the entrance. Once her partner was out of sight, she crouched down by the mailbox, drawing a cross inside a heart, surrounded by rays. It was her special symbol, to be used in case there wasn't time to leave a more detailed message. Looking from side to side, to make sure the coast was clear, she reached inside the old mailbox, holding her breath.

Her heart stopped as her hand closed around the folded scrap of paper. He knows. I'm not alone. The relief that washed over her almost brought tears to her eyes. She could feel Nora's unease, but shoved her away with more fierceness than normal and was rewarded with silence, for once.

She didn't have time to celebrate though, because she could feel the thunderous tread of a Mutant headed her way. Time to party. She popped up, smiling as she pulled the trigger in one fluid motion. Damn, it's good to be back.

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The rest of the afternoon went about in the same fashion. She couldn't make it to every drop, wouldn't be smart to, but she made it to a respectable number of them. Every time her hand closed around another scrap of paper, her heart soared a little higher. She had felt so isolated for so long. To know that Deacon was out here, waiting, protecting her in any way he could filled her with renewed determination. We can do this. We can defeat them.

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When Talitha fell asleep that night, Deacon slipped out from under the covers. He wouldn't be able to sleep until he checked the drops again. He knew chances were slim, but he had to be thorough. He slipped out of the hotel unnoticed, Carla distracted by Fred, annoyance clear on her features.

The first drop he reached hadn't been touched. He tried to keep his spirits from dropping as he made his way to the next location. He rounded the corner and had to fight the urge to lift his sunglasses for a better look. It can't be… As he got closer, there was no denying it.

Relief flooded his body at the sight of her sign, hastily scrawled on the side of the mailbox. I knew it! I fucking knew it! He reached inside the box, but there wasn't anything inside. Not surprising, really. She probably hadn't had time for all that. His correspondence was gone though, so at least she knew she wasn't alone. He couldn't keep the smile from pulling at the corners of his mouth. She's alive. Now it's my job to keep her that way.

Deacon hurried off toward HQ. He had to tell Dez. He had proof now and everyone was going to have to get on board, like it or not. Nothing was going to stop him from getting Adriana out alive, but not before they finally brought the Institute crumbling down in her wake. He'd waited so many years for an opportunity like this. Now he just had to not fuck it up. You can do this. You have to. Filled with determination, Deacon strolled into the HQ.

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Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter! 3 3
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