"This is unwise," Sawyer tells Jess. They are stood at the lower level of the store.

"We can't just leave him here," Jess insists.

"He cannot defend himself. He is a liability we can't afford," Sawyer persists. Jess pinches the bridge of her nose, and glances at Bryan, who was seated aside as they'd told him to, being unclear about the fact that he was the topic of discussion.

"What do you want me to do?" she asks Sawyer with a rejecting tone already. "Want me to just leave him here?"

"Return him to his home," Sawyer offers.

"You mean where his dad's body is, eaten and cooked up by fire fucking breathing ants?!" Sawyer inhales irritably. "He's coming with us to Rivet City," she declares as final.

XXX

The sun had set long ago. Jess and Sawyer had camped in a diner's kitchen. Jess was on the tiled floor, Bryan's sleeping head on her lap, and Sawyer seated near the door with Chuck in his hands.

Bryan had told them, after Jess had informed him that he was to go with them to Rivet City, that his older cousin lived there, and that he was very grateful they would escort him there safely.

That seemed to do little to ease Sawyer's concerns about having him along. He was quiet, and physically tense, Jess sensed, or maybe it was just her. Their disagreement left a hostile air between them. It couldn't stay that way if they were to continue together. She had to fix it, knowing he would make no such attempt.

She finally speaks up. "You're killing me with the disapproval look, Sawyer," smirking lightly. "You know this was the right call." No matter his worries, surely a part of him thought so, she hoped.

"I do as you command," Sawyer retorts, refusing eye-contact. Jess is angered by his dismissal.

"Don't give me that crap, Sawyer. We agreed you'd be honest with me," she reminded irritably. His steely gaze suddenly snapped back up to meet hers, causing her heart to jump in alert.

"Okay, you wanna hear the truth?" he asks, tone stern, glancing at the boy to insure he was indeed fast asleep. Jess doesn't know what to expect. "The truth is: you're not doing this for him, you're doing it for yourself." She is both shocked and confused by his words. "You think, by helping the kid who just lost his old man reach safety, is gonna make you feel better about your similar situation, but it's not. You're only making it worse, and if he dies along the way, you'll end up blaming yourself."

…For a moment, Jess is at loss for words, taking in his own and processing them.

Was he right?

…'Yes,' a part of her confessed. But the fact remained clear.

"…And you think I wouldn't have blamed myself for leaving him to die back there?" she strictly rejects. Sawyer refrains from rolling his eyes at her meaningless counters.

"I think you should stop thinking who you can and can't save, and concern yourself with your own survival," he retorts. Jess eyes him in disapproval.

"And what kind of a life is that, exactly, where you live for no one but yourself?" she refuses.

"The kind that keeps you alive," Sawyer answers. Jess holds his gaze intensely.

"I'd rather be dead than live like that, alone," she declares. Sawyer looked away, exhaling tiredly. He wanted to say that she would indeed die soon with that head of hers, but decided it was a step too far, and kept it to himself.

She knew he was unconvinced…How could he not be? Though still unaware of the full extent of the harsh events in his life, she assumed his rejection was justified, but that did not dismiss her point…It was not a life to live for just one's self…

…Would he ever see that?

…She said no more for the time being…

XXX

The following morning, the group, using the metro tunnels, made way to Rivet City. After two hours of alertness that was intensified by the presence of a helpless child, on foot, and a few short breaks, they finally made it out in the open, which was not entirely good; the exposure to immanent dangers.

But within eyesight, Rivet City…

It was a large freighter, a pre-war aircraft carrier; grey, rusty, but very sturdy. It lied in shallow waters, a narrow bridge laid between its upper deck and a thin, tall, vertical steel structure opposite it, supporting the other end of that bridge.

The trio carefully and cautiously made their way to said structure, avoiding the gaze of some far off super mutants near the Jefferson Memorial.

Bryan felt fairly safe around Jess, and, surprisingly, Sawyer too, though he was too afraid to ever speak directly to him, as he'd several times wanted to ask why he always seemed so angry or upset.

The group made their way to the structure and climbed its rickety metal stairs.

At the other end of the bridge, were two guards it seemed. Jess hadn't come across a single settlement with actual guards until just then.

She was cautious of their weapons, but felt confident that, with Bryan at their side, there was no chance they'd randomly shoot.

Why would she even think they would?

…The Wastes had made her paranoid.

She glanced at Sawyer, who was as expressionless as always, but with his shotgun behind his back, she assumed they were in no immediate danger, and they started across the bridge with Bryan's hand in hers.

At the sight of Sawyer, expectantly, the guards tensed up. When the group were five feet away, one of the guards held up a hand. "Hold! State your business," he demanded behind a helmet and its glass-face-shield.

"I'm here to see a doctor Li," Jess starts.

"Why?" the other guard retorts.

"I was told my father had come to see her. I'm looking for him. His name is James Kendrick," she explains.

"…What about him?" the guard points a look at Sawyer. Jess glances in turn. The man spoken of remained as still as a statue, eyes afar.

"He's my…bodyguard," she gives.

It wasn't false.

"And the kid?" the other says.

"He's here for his cousin. Bryan, what's her name?" she asks.

"Vera. Vera Weatherly," he replies.

XXX

"Vera!" Bryan exclaims. The blonde speaking to a large, orb-like robot with three hands and eye-pods, a Mister Handy type, (there was one in Jess's vault too, Andy) she turns at the calling, and her green eyes go wide upon seeing who the voice belonged to.

"Bryan?!" she utters in shock, rounding the wooden counter reception of the Weatherly Hotel, her hotel, and approaching the three. Bryan rushes into her arms, that are spread still in disbelief. Slowly, she lowers them onto him, and holds him to her. "What are you doing here, kiddo?" she asks curiously, pushing him to arms' length and kneeling to face him. His smile drops, and he deeply frowns, tears threating to fall from his tired eyes yet again.

"Dad's dead," he quietly says. Vera's expression turns grim.

"Oh my god," she breathes. A second passes before she pulls him into a tight embrace. "You're okay now."

Jess smiles at the scene, her heart aching at the thought of her own father, while Sawyer is indifferent. Vera catches sight of them, and rises. Bryan faces the duo as well, and softly smiles. "Thank you," he says. "If it weren't for both of you, I'd be dead," he emphasizes 'both', intent on showing his gratitude to Sawyer as well, who is indifferent to that as well.

"No problem, Bryan," Jess smiles brightly at him.

Vera takes this in. "You saved my cousin, and brought him here in one peace. I don't know how I can thank you for that," she says, approaching them.

"There's no nee-" Vera cuts Jess off, smirking.

"Actually; I do. How long do you plan on staying in Rivet City?" she asks.

"Two, three days tops?" Jess tells perplexedly.

"Then you've got yourselves a room, free of charge, including food and drink for a day," she contently tells. Jess's manners were about to decline, but the idea of sitting after such a long journey in a non-threatening, somewhat comfortable place, sounded too pleasant to refuse.

"That actually sounds great. Thank you, Vera," Jess says.

XXX

Leaving Sawyer in the small room, Jess went off to find Doctor Li, and hopefully her father.

But as if hoping for too much, she didn't find the latter.

Quite frustrated with the endless, exhausting, and emotionally depleting quest, Jess rushed back to the hotel room.

She opened the door to find Sawyer lying on his bed. He faces her from there. "Oh. Sorry. Did I wake you?" she asks. He sits up at the edge of the bed and shakes his head.

"I wasn't asleep," he says. She nods at that. Sawyer noted the look in her eyes and posture: sorrow, disappointment, and irritation combined, very contradicting to her hasty attitude before she'd left the room over half an hour prior.

Seems she hadn't gotten the news she wanted.

"Okay, well. Doctor Li wants to see you," she flaps her arms and cocks her head at him as if suggestively, fishing him out of his lake of thoughts. Sawyer takes this in for a moment, and tiredly inhales at the hopeless idea. Regardless, he rises to his feet, humoring her. Jess nods and turns on her heels out the open door with him following.

XXXXX