"Is he…" Nadia swallowed loudly, trying not to breath through her nose, "dead?" The smell of blood, a staple of post apocalyptia, filled the small cave, reminding her strongly of rusted lampposts and old bikes. Rusted metal was everywhere.

Hancock stepped forward, toeing Pickman's body with one booted foot as Curie hovered in the background. He groaned. Nadia barely noticed as her eyes drifted from his form to the drawing on the cave wall behind him. He did this to himself. She swallowed down the bile rising in her throat as Deacon's hand found the base of her neck, resting there in silent reminder that she was not alone. She barely registered him telling the bot to wait outside, quickly shutting down her complaints that he was making her act in direct opposition to her programming.

Pickman had drawn what was clearly a likeness of her on the craggy surface. The outline of the image was done in black and depicted her with large, feathered wings that appeared to be trying to shield Pickman's body beneath them. The figure was crouched, hands raised to a mouth with sharply pointed teeth. He had used his blood to paint with, tipping the angelic demon's teeth with it, her hands and forearms were covered as well as the tips of the wings. And the eyes. No matter how you looked at it, her bloody eyes seemed to staring straight into your soul. It was disturbingly beautiful.

Pickman had cut open his own abdomen, intestines spilling from the cavity, and it looked for all the world like her twisted likeness was feasting upon his slowly dying body.

"I knew you'd find me." His breathless voice found her ears and she took an involuntary step back, Deacon stepping forward at the same time, supporting her weight when she almost collapsed. "I knew you'd come and end it for me. Like you were meant to."

"Bub, if the blood loss and loose bits don't kill ya, all that radiation will. I don't think ya need her," Hancock mused, leaning down to investigate before straightening up and taking a step back. "This is natural selection, karma, or just plain good luck at it's finest, if ya ask me."

"Nadia," Pickman grunted, ignoring Hancock's commentary, "love… please."

Hancock didn't hesitate, he stepped forward, pressing his heavy boot down on the psycho's throat, watching as his mouth moved, gasping uselessly for air. His hands grappled with the sole of the ghoul's shoe, face turning from irradiated green to purple, eyes wide in desperation.

"Don't." Nadia's voice broke over the whispered command and Hancock immediately removed his foot, lip curled in disgust. "Let's just leave him."

"We can't, Whisp," Deacon said softly into her ear, voice low enough that it barely qualified as a whisper. "He's like a cockroach. He'll only come back bigger and nastier. You know that. Do you really want to risk it. Looking over your shoulder and never knowing what really happened? Can you live like that?"

Nadia sighed, "Fuck." She stepped forward, pulling her knife from its hidden holster as she did. She felt Deacon's hand on her arm, but she ignored it, leaving it to fall uselessly against his thigh with a muffled smack.

Pickman's eyes lit as she crouched down next to him, brushing his hair off his fevered, sweat damp forehead. The smile her touch inspired making Hancock's stomach clench, blood boiling.

"I finally figured it out, love. Isn't it beautiful? Help me. Help me finish it. Make it perfect. The final touch, my blood on your hands. Fitting, don't you think?"

Nadia smiled and if either Hancock or Deacon had seen it, they would have known right then what her headspace was, but her expression was a private show only Pickman could see. He tried to reach up to caress her face, but he'd already lost so much blood that his hand was clumsy and heavy. She helped him, lifting his hand to her cheek.

"Don't worry. It'll all be over soon," she whispered soothingly, maternally.

She stood up then, turning to Hancock and handing him knife.

"Finish him," she ordered. Eyes like pits, fathomless.

Hancock paced forward, steps slow and even. Predatory. His heavy bootfalls echoing off the stone. His thin lips stretched in a wickedly crooked grin as he spun Nadia's blade in anticipation.

"Nadia, no! You're ruining everything!" Pickman's voice cracked in desperation as he tried to move, but his traitorous limbs refused to comply.

"Good."

She reached for Deacon's hand, squeezing it tightly as Pickman's frantic pleas were cut off by one swift motion of Hancock's deft hand. Nadia listened dispassionately to the wheezing, gurgling sound of his lungs trying to find oxygen as blood sprayed, staining the leather of Hancock's boots before he stepped back. She watched as the life drained from him and he finally went limp, his soulless eyes open and staring at her accusingly. Hancock reached down and wiped her blade clean on the sleeve of Pickman's tattered suit before straightening up and turning to look at her.

"Let's go." Nadia released her hold on Deacon, took her knife from Hancock, and walked out of the cave without a backward glance.

Deacon and Hancock hung back, looking at the final work of art of a demented mind, before exchanging concerned looks.

"Awkward silence or quality time. You be the judge." Deacon shrugged and then slouched after Nadia, Hancock following along, head shaking slowly.

Once out of the oppressive atmosphere of the cave, Nadia began to feel better. The warmth of the sun on her skin, a breeze just brisk enough to make her hair dance and the growing distance between her and Curie's incessant fawning over Deacon were all working together to ease the tension she had been carrying since she first woke up to find herself in Pickman's company. She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. I'm finally free of him. She felt feather light now that the weight of his obsession was no longer pressing down around her.

Now it's time to get back to it. No more delays. I have to find Shaun. She set her shoulders, walking with new found purpose, even as she heard the sound of Hancock's hurried steps catching up with her.

"Uh oh." He said as he caught up, falling into step beside her. "I've seen that walk before. That's your determined, about to kick some ass walk. Who's on the receiving end of this particular beat down, dove?"

"The Institute," she replied without looking over at him.

"Here, here!" Deacon's cry of agreement floated to them on the wind and she smiled, even as the whirring of Curie's mechanics reached her ears as well. She wasn't sure what it was about the bot that rubbed her the wrong way, but she stuffed down her growing annoyance, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as Curie stopped to collect yet another sample. It's just a hubflower and you've already picked up two others! Nadia took a deep breath and kept walking, pointedly keeping her gaze straight ahead.

"I guess that means we're takin' that chip back to everyone's favorite, glasses wearing Super Mutant." Hancock stated, eyes scanning the horizon for any looming threats, shotgun held at the ready.

"You would be correct," she replied. "It's time to end this."

As long as ending it doesn't end you, Hancock thought, but wisely did not voice. He knew there would be no talking her out of her plan to infiltrate the Institute, but that didn't mean the very thought didn't make his stomach flip and turn with panicked worry.

"Well, let's stop by the Green Jewel and catch up with Nicky," Hancock suggested instead as they worked their way around the lake and around toward the city, popping off Bloatflies at they got near.

"My thoughts exactly."

When the door to the agency opened, Nick almost jumped out of what was left of his skin. Then he saw the familiar forms of his friends file in and he relaxed back into his chair, the hinges squeaking in protest.

"You alright there, pal?" Hancock asked, head tilted in concern at the synth's uncharacteristic response.

"Surprisingly, I've rarely been better. Looks like I could say the same about you," he said turning to Nadia, relief clear in the worn lines of his face.

"Yeah, not even Pickman could keep me down forever. I've got more important shit to do," she said, flashing him a determined smile. "But now I am curious as to what you've been up to. How did things go with Jenny?"

"Well, kid," Nick started, a dreamy smile drifting across his face, "it's a little more present tense than that. Granted, I guess past tense is surprisingly apt as well."

"You gonna start making sense anytime soon, Nicky?" Hancock's black eyes narrowed at his best friend.

"Do we need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Amari? Are your systems running correctly?" Deacon chimed in.

Nick didn't even acknowledge their comments, eyes locked with Nadia's as she waited silently, but eagerly, for his explanation.

"You guys remember me telling you about Jennifer? Human Nick's fiancee?"

They all nodded in unison, all jokes forgotten.

"She volunteered for the same program as he did." He let the words sink in for a minute before continuing, "I found her. My impossible memory girl is real."

Nadia forgot how to breath under the weight of his revelation, her heart so full of happiness. It's a wonder, the convoluted path love sometimes takes.

Her memory hadn't come back all at once, but in bits and pieces, disjointed and confusing. At first she wasn't even sure what was happening. Nick's hand on her waist, steadying her when she tripped, and all of a sudden there was a flash of a familiarity that hadn't been there before. He struck a match to light his cigarette and the smell of sulfur brought with it the heady aroma of brewing coffee, something she didn't remember ever experiencing but somehow recognized.

"You alright, doll? You look a little pale," Nick's yellow eyes found hers, eyebrows drawn together in concern and, just for a moment, his glowing irises were replaced by ones the gray of threatening rain clouds. She shook her head and was left with only reality, more confused than ever.

Nick watched Jenny closely, and it seemed like the longer they were together, the weirder she became. He wasn't sure if it was the Institute's security measures wreaking havoc with her memory or if maybe the stress of her situation was finally catching up with her. He didn't remember much from his first days outside of the Institute, just a war inside his head and confusion over why his memories told him he was human, but his eyes told a very different story. Whatever she was dealing with, he was going to make sure she was safe while things got sorted.

It wasn't until they reached the Boston Common that things started really taking shape, even if it was only a little. The stone bandstand rose up in the distance and Jenny felt a breeze that wasn't there, strands of red hair floating into her line of sight even though she knew her own was blonde. She walked straight to the bandstand, drawn to it as the image before her vacillated between dingy and crumbling to pristine and picturesque.

Nick followed her to the center of the bandstand, his heart in his throat. The last time he had been up here had been the night he had proposed. He felt like he was standing on hallowed ground.

"Valentine," Jenny said the name as if testing it out, "are you a cop?"

He started to answer, but that was when he realized he had only been introduced to her as Nick. No one had spoke his last name to her or around her.

"How do you know that name?" Nick's processors were working overtime, trying to put everything into a logical place, but none could be found.

"It is your name, though?" She was turned away from him, but he could hear the little quiver in her voice clearly.

"Yes."

"And you were a detective?"

"Yes."

"And you purposed to your girlfriend in this very spot?"

She still hadn't turned around and Nick couldn't live another moment without seeing her face. He circled around her, coming to a stop before her, eyes large, heart in his throat.

"Jennifer? Doll, is that you?" He didn't recognize the shaky, choked sound of his own voice.

"I…" she paused, tears welling in unfamiliar eyes, "I think so."

Nick thought he would collapse under the weight of it all. He pulled her to his chest, desperate to feel her for the first time in his synthetic life. She squeezed him just as tightly, tears spilling over and dampening his faded blue tie.

"How?"

"I don't know yet, Nick. It's just starting to come back to me." She looked up at him, the first real smile he had seen from her yet shining up at him like the sun and he knew in that moment that she really was his. She was his Jennifer. The woman he had dreamt of every night that he could remember in the past 200 years. "Every time you touch me, I remember something else. Your eyes, they were gray, right?"

"Yeah, you're spot on, doll." He smiled down at her, feeling even less deserving of her than the last time they stood in this same place, different bodies clinging together in joy. He had been brave that day though and if human Nick could be, then so could he. "Well, if it only takes a touch…"

Nick leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, hoping with everything he had in him that she wouldn't reject him. It wasn't like him to just dive in without calculating the risks, but this time the payoff was just too good and when she sunk into him, mouth parting eagerly, he couldn't help but feel like he had won the jackpot.

"Why didn't you tell us about all this when we saw you last?" Hancock asked later as they were heading down the street to the left of Diamond City's entrance. Nick was taking them to some secret location where he had Jennifer hidden away while she recovered her memories.

"Oh, I don't know, John. Maybe I didn't think it'd be very kind to rub your nose in my love life, seeing as your girl was missing and you didn't know if you'd ever see her again. Shoot me for thinking a little discretion might be in order. After MacCready and I had less than no luck locating Pickman, I had been gone so long that I knew Jennifer'd be worried and I didn't want to take the time to double back and fill you in," Nick explained, his voice pitched to convey that he thought the whole situation was clear enough that only a child would need it laid out for him.

Hancock didn't respond, head tilted at his friend, thin lips pressed into a hard line.

Nadia and Deacon hung back, exchanging loaded looks and trying not to laugh until Nick lead them through a rusted chain link fence. Nadia was glad they had left Curie behind with Ellie and she didn't have to listen to more of her worrying over Deacon. He can take care of himself.

"It's almost time, we gotta hurry," Nick called over his shoulder, quickening his pace as he picked a path through the steel corpses of automobiles and making a sharp turn to the left. They followed him up onto the scaffolding surrounding a nearby building until they came to a place where unobtrusive metal bars had been drilled into the stone work making a usable, but hardly noticeable, ladder. They all shimmied up to the roof of the building, crossed, and then pulled themselves up onto the next level. Nadia was standing next to the building's skylight, all of them looking to Nick expectantly, when he smiled.
"Right on time," he announced as Jennifer appeared on the rooftop of the building next door.

"I can't wait to see your plan for getting us over there," Hancock muttered, reaching into his pocket for his tin of Mentats and popping several of the tablets into his mouth.

Nadia smiled and returned Jennifer's eager wave before watching the blonde make her way over to what looked like the a tall metal ladder leaned up against the side of the building.

"Watch out!" Her voice carried across the gap between the buildings as she tipped what looked like an extremely long scaffolding ladder over, making a bridge.

"I always wanted my untimely death to be due to falling," Deacon remarked. "Dreams really do come true."

Nick chose to ignore the comment and instead started across the precarious bridge. The other building was slightly higher, but not terribly far away and after what felt like an eternity, though in reality was probably less than a minute, Nick was safely across and wrapping his girl in his arms. Deacon shrugged and followed suit, Nadia holding her breath as he scrambled across.

"Well, doll," Hancock looked to her with a smile, "I know the rule is generally ladies first, but I'm not sure if that applies in this situation."

Nadia laughed, kissed him quickly but thoroughly, and then took her turn. Deacon was at the other side waiting for her and she tried to focus on that as she made the harrowing trip, heart beating in double time. She had never been more happy to feel something sturdy beneath her feet as she happily collapsed against Deacon.

Now it was all up to Hancock. She made herself watch as he traversed the building gap, but it was honestly more difficult than making the trip herself. She couldn't breath until he was safely across and holding her tightly.

"Help me pull that back over, John," Nick requested, "and then let's get inside."

Pulling the ladder back to the side they were now on looked difficult and Nadia was impressed that Jennifer could do it on her own.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's amazing what being terrified can do for your upper body strength," Jennifer said with a laugh, before launching herself at Nadia and wrapping her in a hug. "Thank you so much. If it wasn't for you, I might never have remembered."

"No need for thanks. I'm just glad you two have found each other again," Nadia whispered, feeling her throat tighten with suppressed emotion.

"So am I," Jennifer agreed, eyes sparkling, before tucking Nadia's arm into her own and leading her into the secret room far above Diamond City.

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