The journey was over. They were back in Diamond City. Sam still had countless reservations about calling this place a home, but it was definitely safe. She felt like she could finally let her guard down, now that they had made it past the Wall.
Piper seemed to read these feelings off her like a book, as she smiled back without even needing words. All the hardships they'd faced on their journey north, against others or between each other, all just seemed to vanish from their minds.
It was definitely nice to be back.
The walked down the main city stairs towards Piper's home, the giant Publick Occurrences sign glowing green as it always did. Nat was standing on a crate out front, advertising the paper in that way only a child could. As soon as she took notice of them, though, she hopped off her box and sprinted right into her older sister.
"Piper, you're back!" she exclaimed, hugging so hard she almost knocked the woman over. Then, as quickly as she had approached, she jumped a half-step back. "Guess what, sis?" She practically bounced as she spoke. "The hairbrush you lost? I found it while you were gone! It was upstairs, under your bed."
Nat stood triumphant, hands on hips, like she had solved the greatest mystery in Boston.
Sam watched from the sidelines, struggling to keep her laughter stifled. Her eyes shifted to Piper, who was already speaking volumes with her body language.
"What do you mean, I lost?" she snapped back. "And what exactly were you doing upstairs, anyway? You know full-well my room is off-limits while I'm out!"
Nat's expression froze for a full five seconds, before spontaneously turning her attention to Sam. "Lady! You're back too!"
Piper sighed in defeat. Sam laughed, and knelt down to get on Nat's level.
"Heck yeah I am!" She stuck a hand out for a high five, which Nat promptly gave. "You been good while we were out? Sold lots of papers for you and your sister?"
"Been good?" Nat retorted. "You're not my mom, lady. No one is! Right sis?" Piper just rolled her eyes and met Sam's gaze. She's your problem now, Blue, her expression seemed to say.
"But yeah," the papergirl continued. "Oh yeah. We're practically sold out on the synths issue. Do you believe us about the Institute yet, lady? Don't say I didn't try to warn you!"
Sam laughed dryly. "Well, not to worry, Nat!" she replied. "Piper and I went on all sorts of adventures while we were gone. Plenty of material for your next publication."
Nat wheeled about to face her sister, eyes wide. "Really? What did you do? Did you fight bad guys?"
The sentiment on Piper's face read loud and clear — Blue, don't. Please.
It was tempting, for a moment. To tell Nat everything. The raiders. The lasers. The Minutemen. The Deathclaw. But she tempered the sudden flair for wild action with consideration for her friend. It wouldn't be right to get Nat all hyped up and then just leave her for Piper to deal with. That would be mean, not funny. If Piper didn't want her sister to be left dreaming about battles with Deathclaws, who was Sam to argue?
"I'm sure your sister will tell you everything that you deserve to hear," she concluded. As she stood up, she could have sworn she actually saw Piper mouthing thank you at her. But the moment passed, and Natalie, heaving her classic sigh, took off back inside.
Sam and Piper stood and simply looked at each other for a moment. The sky was fading from twilight into nighttime proper. The first few stars would be coming out soon.
Piper spoke first. "So, I guess this is it for now?"
Sam smiled, but also sighed. "I guess. I mean, sure, yeah. You've got a job to do, after all. A family to look after."
Piper shrugged in response. "True. But hey, if you ever want to hit the road again, y'know..."
"Yeah," Sam interrupted, her smile accompanied by a happy warmth. "I know."
There was a final moment's pause. Piper seemed to be sizing her up for something. Sam contemplated stepping in closer for a friendly hug — but a sudden drop in her stomach left her feeling quieter and more reserved than usual. She held herself back. I shouldn't, she told herself. It wouldn't be right.
Piper's expression leveled out. "See ya 'round, Blue."
"Yeah," Sam said again. She felt stupid as soon as the word left her lips. "Take care."
They turned their separate ways. It surprised her, how much it hurt to walk away. Part of her wanted to go back, to try the conversation over. Maybe she could have just stayed over to visit for an hour or two. She could have kept Nat occupied while Piper took care of things around the house. The company would have been welcome — Sam was feeling lonely already.
But there was no going back. No rewinding time. That was the ultimate lesson she had come to learn from this new, harsh world. So she buried her feelings, and let the warmth inside her fade.
She headed to the Dugout, passing residents along the way. A fragment of conversation caught her ears — "A real Diamond City boy eats at the noodle stand!"
Sam laughed internally. More like a real Diamond City boy can survive the noodle stand.
Her return to the inn was anything but spectacular. Vadim was caught up with other patrons, which suited her just fine. Her transaction with Yefim was simply business. She pulled the door shut and locked it behind her, unbuckling her newfound armor and shaking off her clothes.
Really need to get myself a second set of clothes, she thought. But her mind was already wandering to other matters. She shut off the lights and crawled into bed.
Samantha was more tired than she thought. Her thoughts evaporated, fading into the smoky stuff of dreams.