OoO( 53 )OoO

She watched from Gary's Galley as the group of visitors, along with the security chief lifted and dragged the heavy android away from the markets. Reaching up, she ran a hand through her long blonde hair as she stared at the woman now standing next to the legendary wanderer. She had seen her around Rivet City here and there, but never really knew who she was. She had never talked before, and always had a sour look on her face, as if someone had pissed her off.

But now, she looked as if she were happy. At least, most of the time. There were times when he wasn't looking that the barmaid could see an obvious change in stature. She became more rigid, and the glow of her smile lessening immensely. She knew immediately what was going on inside the woman's head. That's why any free chance she got, she nervously considered approaching the fiery haired woman. But it was so tough considering she was constantly at his side. She had tried once while he was around, but his presence was like a barrier for her. Not that he was repulsive in any way. It was more like she was walking towards the sun, his presence dwarfing anything around him and making her feel insignificant.

Finally, she watched as the wanderer and the chief of security lugged the heavy, headless droid up the stairs and towards the outpost further into the ship, while the Brotherhood Knight guided them from behind. The red headed woman stood with the long, nasty looking weapon across her back and watched, giggling a little when the android's arm fell and smacked the wanderer in the head, causing him to curse loudly. When they entered the hatch, leaving the marketplace, she finally took her chance and approached.

"Uuuuhhhh..." she said meekly as she stopped behind the woman. The red haired woman turned to her with a curious look in her eye. "H-Hi..." she said.

"Hi. Can I...help you?" asked the woman, who stood no taller than Angela herself.

"Um...my...my name is Angela. I...was actually hoping to ask your help with something." she said, fidgeting with her hands nervously.

"Like what?" asked the gun wielding woman.

"C-Can we talk over there?" she asked, nodding to one of the tables at the restaurant. The red haired woman cocked an eyebrow curiously before finally nodding. The pair walked over to one of the tables, where the red headed woman sat down. "D-Did you want anything to drink?" she asked.

"I..." said the woman, but she froze, looking as if a million thoughts a second were running through her head. Then she smiled slightly. "Have any Nuka-Cola?" she asked.

"Of course!" said the blonde girl before she bolted across to the counter, then came back with two relatively cold bottles of the liquid. The brown-eyed woman held up a bottle and stared into it as if she saw through it. Angela sat down, looking at her curiously.

"Whoa...bubbles." she said with a smile, then popped the cap off and took a large swig from the bottle. Immediately, her face changed in rapid succession. Joy, surprise, realization, then ecstasy. All of these crossed her features as she allowed the cool, bubbly liquid to drain from the bottle and down her throat. When she finished, she slammed the bottle onto the table and had a blush across her face, as well as a happy smile. "You humans...you sure as hell know how to make a drink." she said. Then her eyes widened, and she put a hand to her chest. "Uh oh, what's happening?" she asked.

"I don't think those are meant to be drunk like that." said Angela, a worried look on her face.

"Oh god...I'm gonna explode! I was so young..." said the red haired woman as her eyes widened. Suddenly, she leaned forward with her mouth open and let out a belch that froze everyone in the galley. Immediately, she slapped a hand over her mouth, and sat there wide eyed at what just happened as everyone around her began to silently chuckle at her. Angela, though she tried, couldn't help but break down and laugh as well with her head on the table. "What the hell was that?" she asked.

"You've never burped before?" asked the blonde girl incredulously. The woman just shook her head.

"That's what that feels like..." she said, almost in awe.

"Wait...what's your name?" asked the girl curiously.

"Elsa...Elsa Watson." she said, reaching up and scratching her head. That was the first time in a long time that she'd actually had to use her last name.

"Elsa, what did you mean by 'you humans'?" asked Angela as she looked at the red haired woman oddly.

"Ummm..." she said, unsure of how she should really approach the situation. "It's just...something I say. As a joke." she said, flapping her hand to deflect the question. "So you said you needed help, what did you wanna ask?" she questioned, skillfully dodging the inquisition.

Angela sat back for a moment, then nodded, her face going grim for a moment. "I wanted to ask you about love." she said. At that moment, Elsa had taken a drink from the second bottle that Angela had brought her. As soon as the request came out, her reaction could have been called extremely human. She set the bottle down on the table, half spraying, half choking on the liquid as she pounded her chest as she hacked up the cola heavily.

"Oh man..." she said, gasping for air once she had cleaned it from her system again. "That hurt..."

"Yeah, sometimes it can go down the wrong pipe." said Angela, keeping her laughing to a slight giggle this time. "Anyway, I...I wanted to ask for your help with a guy." she said again.

Elsa looked at her oddly through her brown eyes, as if asking what the hell she was talking about. "Why me?"

The barmaid began to fidget again nervously. "I...I saw you when you were with him. The...Archangel guy." she said, looking up at the redheaded woman. Immediately, Elsa stiffened in her seat. "I saw how you looked at him, and I thought..."

"You thought I was in the same situation as you?" asked the android as she set her head in her hand.

"A-Are you not?" she asked.

Elsa looked up at her with a glare. "Look kid, you gave me my first Nuka-Cola, so I like you. And I'm going to trust you. But if you let this spill, I'll find you. And you don't wanna know the kinda things I can do to a human body." she said with a growl.

Angela gulped, and nodded in apparent fear. "O-Okay..."

The red haired woman sat up straight and sighed. "Mister Archangel has been with me for a long time. I've always been there for him since he picked me up in...well, where he picked me up. Anyway, he and I weren't able to have that kind of relationship at the time, nor did either of us really consider it. As it turns out, I started to fall for him, and didn't realize it until he'd already fallen for someone else." she said sourly as she looked back at the girl. "So what's your situation?"

The blonde girl looked at the floor shyly. "W-Well...there's a guy named Diego. He's currently a deacon at the Church of Saint Monica on the second level."

Immediately, Elsa cringed. "Ouch...I've met a few religious guys in my time. They're...hard to reach." she said.

"Yeah, you're telling me." said Angela. "Anyway, he's scheduled to become a full fledged priest in three days time. Once he does, he'll be lost to me forever." she said.

"That's a pretty tough situation. So, does he like you?" asked Elsa as she leaned her head into her hand.

"He...He says he does. He says he's in love with me, but that his destiny lies with the church." she said with a sigh. She gazed back at the woman to find Elsa giving her a playful look. "W-What?" she asked.

"Have you tried seducing him?" she asked. Elsa could have sworn that the woman's face turned red enough that the blood pressure could have detonated her head.

"I...I...You...Why would you ask me that!?" she asked, frantically covering her face with her hands.

The android woman rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Good grief, you'd think sex was some kind of weapon of mass destruction with the way people treat it." she said in a mocking tone. Turning back to the girl, she got right to the point. "Look girlie, if you're too shy to take it all the way, then what's the point of having him in the first place?" she asked.

Angela looked at the woman, a look of flustered anger on her face. "Y-You said yourself that you couldn't get him! What's your excuse!?" she asked.

Elsa's eyes narrowed and she leaned forward on the table, like a leopard ready to pounce on its prey. Angela covered her mouth and sat back, wondering if she had just crossed the line. But the red haired woman just sighed. "It's not as simple as that. Before, I physically couldn't have him. If he would have devoted himself to me, he'd have doomed himself to an affectionless life." she said sourly.

"Then why don't you take him now?" asked Angela, getting a stunned look from the woman.

Elsa sighed. "Because you don't know him." she said, then looked back up at the girl with a deadpan expression. "Back on topic here, you do intend to give it up eventually, right?" she asked. Angela blushed again, but nodded. "Good. Don't tease the poor man. And for the love of everything holy, don't you dare take for granted that you can show them affection any time you want." she said with a glare and a finger pointing right at Angela. The blonde girl nodded. Finally, Elsa let out another built up sigh and stood. "Where's Diego at?" she asked.

"H-He's with Father Clifford at the church right now. Why?" she asked.

"You'll see. Let's go." she said, grabbing the girl's hand and leading her away from the galley.

OoOoO

John and Chief Harkness had a hell of a time carrying the weight of the former robotic bodyguard up the hall and into the small room that was the outpost for the Brotherhood of Steel. When Lana opened the door, and the pair finally dragged the automaton through the doorway, the man who was currently wearing the same recon armor as the red headed Knight looked at them all stupidly.

"What the hell is that?" he asked as he stepped out from behind his desk, eyeing the dead droid. Looking up at the woman, he crossed his arms. "McGyle, you wanna explain to me exactly what's going on here?" he asked.

Lana turned to him with a smile. "This, Knight De la Rosa, is the Brotherhood of Steel's very first android." she said, placing her hands on her hips. His eyes widened slightly, and he stepped around to examine the body of the machine. But his attention was immediately diverted when she planted the metallic, skull-like head of the android on the table. The tanned man looked over at the head and his eyebrows almost hit the roof.

"No shit?" he asked as he walked over and examined the silver skull.

"No shit." said Lana with a smile.

"How the hell did you manage to pull its head off?" asked the man.

"You can thank those two for that." she said, pointing to the two aggravated men who had had to lug the thing up a flight of stairs to get it to its current location.

"Oh...hey Chief." said Knight De la Rosa as he greeted Harkness.

"Hey Caleb." said the disgruntled man as he turned and left the room.

"So, what are you gonna do with this thing?" asked John curiously as he held a stitch in his side.

"Well, I'm going to send a message to the Brotherhood at the Citadel, and have them send a squad to come and pick it up for study." said the red headed woman as she sat on the other Knight's desk.

"No shit, this would be far ahead of anything we've found yet." said the man as he held the head upside down and examined the severed area of the head.

"Right...well, you two have fun with your new toy. I'm going to go take a nap. My head is killing me." he said as he walked towards the door and left.

Caleb, the Brotherhood Knight with soft brown hair and a goatee to match, turned to Lana. "So...is it true?" he asked.

She looked at him curiously. "Is what true?"

He set the skull down on the desk and smirked at her, placing his hands on his hips while giving her a playful look. "You and the Chief?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and sent a kick at him, which he deftly dodged. "That'll be none of your business." she said in a frosty tone.

He chuckled at her. "Well, apparently it's the business of everyone in that marketplace." he said. She looked ready to send a flying dropkick his way when he held up his hands defensively. "I just ask because...eventually, you're going to have to go back to Megaton, right?" he asked. She froze for a moment, then looked at the ground with a melancholy expression. "You forgot, didn't you?" he asked, his voice laced with a slight, spicy accent.

"I got caught up in the moment..." she said miserably.

He chuckled again and patted her on the shoulder. "No worries kiddo. But, you did leave your post at Megaton without any kind of warning. So I am going to have to reprimand you." he said, scratching his chin. She looked up at him, her gaze now horrified.

"B-But I...with the..." she said, motioning to the android.

"Just because you assisted in the capture of incredible technology doesn't mean you can disobey orders." he said firmly. She looked at the ground, her face crestfallen as she stood to her feet and locked her arms behind her back in a very military fashion.

"I will accept whatever punishment awaits me." she said, her voice now as firm as his.

He smirked slightly. "Good. As such, for abandoning your post, I will be removing you from your station in the sunny, beach resort of Megaton, and you will be instead stationed in this dank, cavernous tub that is Rivet City." he said, his voice still firm, despite the look of surprise she had on her face. "I certainly hope you learn a lesson from this Knight McGyle." he said sternly.

She giggled lightly, smiling brightly now. "Of course sir! Won't happen again sir!" she said happily.

OoOoO

It took less than five minutes for the pair to find Diego. He sat at one of the makeshift pews that lined the sides of the small church, staring up at the cross that hung over the pulpit. Almost as soon as she saw him, the blonde girl began to flush rapidly. Elsa nodded towards the man, getting an acknowledging nod back from Angela. The pair of them stepped into the church and approached the young man. The android woman scanned him curiously with her new eyes.

Dark, coal black hair, deep chocolate eyes, and dark skin. She could see what the young woman found so attractive about the deacon, but decided not to say anything. "D-Diego." called Angela.

The dark-haired young man looked over at them curiously, then stood with a smile. "Angela! Good to see you again." he said, his eyes quickly moving from the young blonde girl, to the red-headed woman, who looked to be about the same age. "Who's your friend?" he asked curiously.

"Her n-name is Elsa." she said nervously, fidgeting with her dress.

"Good to meet you Elsa, welcome to the Church of Saint Monica, where God shines down blessings..." he greeted, but he was immediately stopped when Elsa held up a hand.

"Alright, hold it right there Constantine. I'm not here for a pamphlet, we're here to talk." she said irritably.

He looked at her in surprise. "Talk about what?" he asked.

"About you and Angela." she said, placing her hands on her hips.

The young man sighed as the blonde girl buried her face in her hands. "Mine and Angela's relationship is none of your concern. We spoke about these matters in private..." he said, but once again was interrupted.

"Shut up for a second." said Elsa as she stepped up to the dark-haired young man. He stepped back, slightly intimidated by her fiery attitude. "Let me ask you a question dummy. Have you ever been locked in a room before?"

He shook his head slowly. "I don't see how this has anything to..." he said, then shut up when she glared and clenched her fist. "N-No..."

"Good. Be happy about that." she said, then took a step closer. "Close your eyes." she commanded. Afraid of being beaten up by the woman, he obeyed and closed his eyes. "Now, I want you to imagine yourself, trapped in a room with no doors. Got it?" he nodded. "Good, now imagine being there for a year. You can't die, you can't talk, you can't do anything, and there's nobody around you." she said. The young man's eyebrows furrowed deeply by the implication. "One year, turns to two, which turns to ten, which turns to fifty, to one hundred, to two hundred." she said.

He plopped down into the pew quietly, his neatly combed hair ruffling a bit as he did. "Why are you making me do this?" he asked.

"That is what I had to endure." she said, looking evenly at him. "Two hundred years without the ability to love, without the ability to touch, without so much as someone to talk to." she said. His eyes widened in awe.

"How could you...?" he asked.

"It's a long story, but just take my word on this." she said as she moved the hair away from the back of her head, showing the only port that wasn't coverable by a layer of skin. Both Angela and Diego went wide eyed at the display. "I was trapped in an underground vault for two hundred years, with nobody. I couldn't touch, I couldn't feel, I couldn't love." she said, pointing at his forehead. "That's exactly what you're about to do with yourself if you choose this box, over her. Do you want to feel alone for the rest of your life?" she asked.

He looked at the ground and shook his head. "I...I don't...but...but God..." he said, his emotions whirling around inside him hectically.

"Or would you rather take the oath, then break your word to God down the road when you eventually do give in and finally love someone?" she asked. He had no response, and instead just sat there with his head in his hands. "To be able to show someone you love them is a luxury that not everybody has. You have that luxury, and I would use it before it gets taken away. Lives are short out here in the wasteland, or haven't you noticed?"

"But...the ministry..." he said, his face devastated. Elsa sighed and flicked him in the forehead, which knocked him back in his seat with a strength that startled him. "O-Owww..." he said, rubbing the spot gently.

"I tried to get you to drop it all together, seeing how useless it is. But if you're bound and determined to peddle your snake oil..." she said, grabbing the pew on either side of him and getting into his face. Her glare chilled him, making him sit rigid in his seat. "Do you love her?" she asked.

"Y-Yes...I do. There's no human I love more than Angela...but..." he said, but was cut off one last time.

"Good. According to the rules of the Vatican, circa October 2066, a male priest may not marry after he is ordained into the ministry." she said.

"See, that's why I can't!" he said defensively.

"LISTEN!" she said slowly, but loudly as she tapped her finger against his forehead. "A male priest may not marry AFTER he is ordained into the ministry." she said.

Diego sat for a moment, processing her words. "After he is ordained...?" he asked.

She nodded, then stood up straight. "It says within Canon Law that a man who is married, then ordained can still be a priest of the ministry." she said, glaring at him. "Which means?"

He thought for a second while Angela stared at him wide eyed. "Which means, if I were to marry before being ordained, I would still lawfully be ordained." he said. "But...I get ordained in three days!" he said, exasperated.

"Well, I guess that just means you'll have to hurry." said the red-headed woman. With a smile, Elsa stepped out of the way, allowing him a full view of Angela, who was standing with one hand covering her mouth. Immediately, the young man looked up at the blonde girl, then stepped forward and knelt before her. Angela almost immediately broke into tears and started to fidget wildly. "Angela Staley, will you marry me...please?" he asked.

Elsa just smiled sadly, then turned away from the scene as the blonde girl answered his question by throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. She sighed to herself and left the two love birds inside the church.

OoOoO

After his heavy task of trucking the dead android around the ship, resulting in many bruises, and nearly a black eye, the gunman went back to his room and fell onto the bed. It had taken him a long while to get to sleep, even given his tiredness from the day's events. But eventually, he nodded off in the bed.

OoOoO

Here she was again. It was unusual, seeing things from this side. Seeing things without the shroud that covered everything, making it hard to see, was a completely different experience for her. But this time, it was gone. There was nothing between the two, except the one barrier that she knew she couldn't break. However, that didn't mean she wasn't going to try. Stepping up to his door, she reached forward and opened it. Taking a step inside, she looked around and closed the door behind her. Again, she was hit with the feeling of how strange it was to see everything she had seen from before, but this time from an actual body.

Then her eyes locked onto the man lying in the bed. Currently, he had just collapsed with only his shirt removed. He hadn't even taken off his boots, having them hanging over the bottom of the bed as he lay face down on the mattress, snoring gently. She smiled lightly, then reached up and unzipped the jumpsuit she currently wore. Underneath, she wore a t-shirt, and a pair of undergarments that she had purchased recently. She dropped the jumpsuit around her legs, then kicked it off to the side silently before making her way over to the bed.

She stood for a moment, examining his strong form. From the hair that now hung around his shoulders, to the scruff on his face, to his broad shoulders, to his muscular back. All of it was something she'd had to see for so long, but could never touch. Never truly touch, anyway. Finally, she leaned forward and crawled onto the bed, straddling his waist once more. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she began to gently rub at the muscle, unsure of how much pressure she should be applying. She'd never done this before, and as such, she flinched when he groaned. But, on second thought, the groan didn't sound too painful. Reaching down cautiously, she continued, getting back pleased grunts in return. She smiled to herself as she mimicked exactly what she had seen that woman, Cherry, do almost a week ago.

But, after about ten minutes of her massaging his form, he woke again. "Mmmmm...you sure as hell know what you're doing back there." he said, getting a small chuckle out of her. "So, are you gonna tell me who you are this time?" he asked with a smile.

She was taken aback for a moment, then sighed to herself. He thought he was dreaming again. "See if you can guess." she said in a quiet voice. She allowed him to flip onto his back again, letting her sit on his waist again, and allowing him to view her silhouette in the dark room. His hands reached forward, and slid up her smooth legs, causing her to gasp gently at the feeling. She fell forward onto her hands as she felt his rough hands on her for real this time.

He tilted his head, giving her an odd look. "You're sensitive tonight..." he remarked, moving his hands from her legs up to her hips, his fingers dancing and massaging their way all the way up. The woman bit her lip gently, her hands now on his chest, gripping him and his musculature as she felt her brain light up with things she'd never felt before.

"I...I want you...please..." she moaned, leaning forward until her chest was pressed against his. "Please...kiss me." she begged.

He chuckled lightly as his hands coursed up her sides, one breaking away to grip her head while stroking her cheek at the same time. "You're usually the aggressive one. This is a refreshing change of pace." he said. Leaning forward, he kissed her deeply, her body practically lighting on fire as he pressed his lips to hers. His hand gripped her head, keeping her still as he took control and kissed her deeply with those lips that she had to stare at for so long, but was never able to touch. Suddenly, his hand shifted, running through her hair until his fingers brushed against something solid and smooth.

The wanderer's eyes shot open immediately as he broke away from the kiss. He stared at her long and hard in the dark as she panted heavily, her first actual kiss leaving her near winded. His fingers were now dancing over the hard plastic node on the back of her head, his brain working rapidly before he reached over and lit his pipboy, shining a light on both of them. As the green light illuminated her curvaceous form, he was nearly breathless. "Elsa!?" he asked.

She had recovered from her spell of ecstasy and sat up again, staring down at him with a shameful expression. "Yeah..." she said simply in response to him.

He looked around, then reached up and touched the spot on his head where the android's arm had hit him when he was carrying it, flinching as a small jolt of pain hit him. "I...this...this is real?" he asked. She just nodded, making his eyes widen again. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She laid on his chest, her ear directly over his heart. She could feel, and even hear the soft thump of his rapid heartbeat. "For so long, I've wanted to tell you." she said gently, her fingers tracing over his muscular chest, the feeling of his skin still pleasing to her, no matter how many times she'd felt it since getting into her new body.

He just stared down at her in the pale green glow of his pipboy. "Tell me what?" he asked, knowing the answer, and almost immediately regretting asking.

She looked up at him with her soft brown eyes and slid forward on his form. "John Ronas...I love you. I...need you." she said, then kissed him again. He was stunned by the kiss, but closed his eyes slowly as he leaned forward into it. Encouraged by his submission, she began to kiss him more passionately, her hands now holding his face as she did.

He wrapped one of his arms around her from, holding her close. However, his brain wouldn't give him peace. Immediately, an image of a smiling Sarah Lyons flashed into his head, causing him to jolt back and out of the kiss. She looked at him, startled for a moment by his sudden jerk away from her. "Elsa, I'm...I'm sorry." he said.

She looked at him as if he were a thousand miles away for a moment, then lowered her head sadly. "Not as sorry as I am." she said with a sniffle. He looked at her oddly, never hearing so much emotion in her voice as he had at that moment. She lifted herself off him and stepped off the bed, walking over and grabbing the jumpsuit she had discarded previously.

"Elsa..." he said as he sat up and turned towards her, his legs now dangling off the bed. But she didn't respond as she began to don the jumpsuit once more. The silence stabbed at him worse than the real blades that had been used on him back in the Bethesda building. "Elsa please..." he begged, wanting her to say something, anything. But she just zipped the jumpsuit up over her t-shirt and walked to the door.

Opening it, she looked back at him. The light of the lobby shined on her beautiful face as she looked at him. And in that moment, he felt as if he'd been shot through the heart with his own gauss rifle. She actually had tears flowing down from her eyes. Mixed with her broken expression, it was more than he could bear to look at. Luckily, he didn't have to look for long, as she stepped out into the light and closed the door behind her.

OoOoO

Author's Note: I'm sorry! ;-;