Prologue
~Year 1~
A series of giggles could be heard from the Lawrence household as a
raven haired baby girl stood on the couch, her chubby little legs bending and
straightening as she danced precariously on the unstable cushions. Another
baby, darker in complexion with dark brown hair, stood by, watching seemingly
in horror as her companion jiggled. The little brunette waddled to the other
side of the couch, a bit closer, as if she were trying to prevent her friend from
getting hurt. A blonde baby girl observed from a little ways back, giggling and
clapping at the baby on the couch. The brunette infant looked ready to cry
when a pair of large hands procured the baby girl from the couch and placed
her beside her friends on the floor.
"Rosalinn, honey, you just can't do that. You'll hurt yourself, alright?"
The raven-haired child looked up, pouting a little, but the sincerity in her
father's eyes made the pout disappear and she resorted to hugging her
father's leg instead. James Lawrence smiled down at his little daughter
and ruffled her hair. He was about to sit down and play with the girls when
a woman walked in.
"Dr. Lawrence, could you look after Ellen's son for a few moments while I
get her back home? I'm afraid she spent her tickets again. Good thing the baby
tickets are redeemable only for toddler food, huh Butchie?" She said, jiggling the
two-and-a-half-year-old boy in her arms.
"Sorry for doing this, what with you looking after Amata and Chloe, already."
"No, it's no problem, Beatrice."
Beatrice chuckled as Chloe let out a loud giggle and reached out for
her aunt, who put Butch down by the girls and gave her niece a kiss.
"Sorry, punkin, Auntie has to go for a minute, but I'll be back later!" Chloe
looked a little sad, but was distracted a milli-second later as Rosalinn let out an
angry shriek. Butch had pulled her silky black hair. The baby girl looked about to
cry, but instead she let him have it with her favorite teddy bear, catching him in
the head with the plush toy. Butch's lower lip trembled, and he started to cry.
James had been watching, as well as Beatrice, who had turned to look when
Rosalinn shrieked.
"Huh, well then, that little girl won't have problems defending herself, Dr.
Lawrence! That's just great! Good for her!" She beamed at the children before
she ducked out of the room, leaving poor James with a crying Butch and an
indignant-looking Rosalinn.
"When did I become resident baby-sitter?" He said as he picked up the crying
boy, shaking his head at the giggling girls. "It's not that funny, you three. And
you, don't look so proud." He chuckled, spying the expression on his daughters
face.
"Good for you, honey, indeed." He said down to his beaming daughter.
~Year 10~
"SURPRISE!" shouted a series of voices as Rosalinn entered the diner. She
jumped, and looked pale for a moment, but the color rushed to her face when
she realized what was going on, and that it was for her. Streamers and balloons
everywhere, a cake and party hats on the counter with some bottles of Nuka Cola,
and a few people holding gifts. "Oh wow, thank you, everyone. Really." She said
softly, looking taken aback still. After a loving speech from her father, not so
lovingly interrupted by the Overseer with a speech of his own, as well as the
presentation of her Pip-Boy 3000, Rosalinn was greeted by Amata and Chloe.
The two girls hugged their friend and Rosalinn giggled softly. "Did you guys do
this?"
Amata grinned. "Oh, we so did. Do you like it? It took us forever and it was
so hard to keep it a secret, right, Chlo?"
The blonde pushed her bangs from her face, nodding. "It was. We really had to
work at hiding everything when you came near us. Good thing we had a big
project due, or we wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything."
Rosalinn smiled wide and hugged the two girls. "I love it." After receiving their
gifts, and thanking them profusely, she mingled a while, and spoke to a couple
of other people before disappearing from the party to go speak with her father
and Jonas. The two presented Rosalinn with her very own BB gun, to her
surprise and delight. James watched his daughter shoot, her blue eyes sharp as
she aimed for the targets they had constructed. The Doctor took a breath in
as her expression shifted, for just a brief moment, looking fierce, unstoppable.
For a moment, she didn't look like a child, but a warrior. James briefly wondered
if he had made a mistake giving her the gun, but his fears were pressed down
when his daughter returned to herself and looked at him brightly as she had hit
all three targets square in the center, and killed a rad-roach to boot. He smiled
and encouraged her to keep going. Rosalinn practiced a little while before
thanking the two men and hugging them before gently placing the gun on a table.
"I should go back to the party. I love you, Daddy. You too, Jonas. Thank you."
She said as she took off, leaving the gun in Jonas' care for the afternoon until
her Dad could bring it back to their rooms without being caught.
Jonas looked at his mentor and back in the direction the girl went.
"Somethin' bothering you, Doc?"
James sighed and almost shook his head, but instead looked at Jonas and
smiled sadly.
"She just reminds me of her mother so much, and she's such a serious child.
I wonder if she will ever grow out of that."
Jonas looked thoughtful.
"Not sure, but she's a lot like you – resourceful, smart, observant, and I think
she'll be just fine."
"I really hope you're right, Jonas. I really do.
On her way up the stairs, she was cornered by Butch and his boys,
Wally and Paul. Rosalinn rolled her eyes and tried to shove past them, but Butch
grabbed her and shoved her back.
"Kids ain't allowed down there, nosebleed. What gives? Why're you gettin'
special treatment?" Rosalinn curled her lip and stared at him for a moment,
before looking away. "None of your business."
"Aww, whatssamatter, you gettin' scared? Gonna call for Daddy? Go for it!"
Rosalinn growled, but was silent as Butch pulled back his arm, his hand balled
into a fist. "But only after I pound ya one just so you don't go on thinkin'
you're better than everyone else, like your little friend Amata." He let a punch
fly, catching her across the face. Rosalinn's eyes widened, and then narrowed
as the boys cheered.
I'm gonna wipe that victory grin off his face so fast he
won't know what hit him.
She thought to herself, saying nothing as she
pulled back her own fist and let him have it. The boy stumbled back; his face
turned to one side. When he turned back, Butch's expression went from
shocked to angry as he registered that not only had she hit back but his nose
was bleeding.
"Who's the 'nosebleed' now?" She said in a quiet tone with enough venom to
bring down an elephant in a heartbeat.
Butch held his nose as his friends led him away towards her Dad's office, looking
back only to throw her a look that said he hated her.
"Don't even think of telling anyone, nosebleed! Or I'll get you worse!"
Rosalinn made no more moves and simply turned to head for home. Her father
caught sight of Butch being led away by his buddies as he came out of the diner,
but he turned in time to see his little girl take off for home. "Damn it, Deloria."
He muttered under his breath as he followed his child, resolving to dealing with
Butch and his punk friends later. He came quietly into the room as his daughter
pressed an ice pack to her slightly swollen cheek.
"Honey...?"
Rosalinn's head whipped around and she winced.
"Don't worry about it, Daddy."
By this time, Amata and Chloe had figured something was up, so they were
peeking around the door.
"Sweetheart, Butch needs to be taught a lesson somehow. Someone needs to
speak up, otherwise this will continue."
"It's fine. He'll grow out of it, right?"
"Rosalinn, I..."
"I'm tired...can I please go lie down?"
James looked taken aback at his child's words, but he gave her a hug and
nodded. "Alright. I'll be having a look at that tomorrow though. I love you."
"Love you too, Daddy. Night."
James smiled a little. "Good-night honey." He walked out of her room and sat on
his couch while Amata and Chloe looked at each other with expressions of concern.
"Dr, Lawrence, is she okay?" asked Amata, coming forward.
"James looked at the girls, a bit surprised they were there.
"She's fine, girls. You know how it is with Butch. He's nothing but a bully."
Amata nodded. "Yeah. Tell her we'll come see her tomorrow, okay? I'll bring
some girl stuff and we can talk about it. We'll make her feel better, right Chloe?"
Chloe nodded. "My mum baked cookies this morning, so I can bring some. Is
that okay?"
James smiled and nodded. "I am quite sure she'd love to have some girl time
with you two. I'd be fine with it if your parents are."
The girls nodded and left, Amata looking pensive.
"We should get him back. He hit a girl!" She said, sounding angry.
Chloe smiled wistfully. "Oh, it's okay, really. She's fine. Rosalinn can take care of
herself. We shouldn't get involved in something that doesn't involve us."
Amata sighed and nodded. "You're right, as usual. I'm going to go help clean
up the diner. See you tomorrow, Chloe!"
"See you, Amata!" waved the blonde as she headed home for the evening,
the thought in her head that the next few years were going to be interesting.
~Year 16~
"And pencil's down folks. Make sure you've completed all the questions
and have handed it in. You don't want to know what happens to those who fail
the GOAT."
Rosalinn sighed as she looked her paper over and waited.
'I really hope I did alright.' She thought as she got up a little while later and
walked over to Mr. Brotch. The teacher looked up and grinned a little.
"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"No, sir. Could I have my score? I want to tell my Dad what I'll be doing."
asked the girl, looking nervous.
Mr. Brotch laughed and shook his head as he took her paper.
"You're so serious, Ms. Lawrence. Lighten up. I'm sure you did
great."
After a couple of moments, Mr. Brotch looked up and nodded.
"Well, I didn't expect any less. Looks like you're going to be working
with your dad a lot more often! Congratulations, you've qualified
to be the next vault physician!"
Rosalinn smiled appreciatively, almost proudly, and nodded.
"Thank you, Mr. Brotch. See you tomorrow!" She said, looking happy.
The girl almost bounced out of the room and right into the Tunnel Snakes
as she mused about being able to work alongside her only role model.
Butch turned slowly and looked behind him, looking harassed as he
registered her banging into him. In a split second, he had slammed her
against the wall as he snarled, gripping the neck of her vault suit in a fist.
"Why the hell don't ya look where you're going, nosebleed. Someone
could get hurt." He spat as he pressed his arm into her.
Rosalinn gasped, and her face paled as his knuckles cut off her breathing. She
shook her head trying to move to breathe, but he wasn't making it easy. He had
her in a corner, the cold metal stopping her from moving too far.
"What's wrong, nosebleed, don't like people putting you in your
place?" asked the snake with a sneering grin playing on his lips. Her eyes started
to water as she struggled to get away, her breathing more shallow. The hall
started to spin and go black as oxygen became scarce. Suddenly Butch let go at
the request of a voice behind him and she barely felt the Serpent King grab her.
He held her up, preventing her from slumping over, looking and sounding panicked.
"Shit! Shit man, I'm sorry! Hey, c'mon, open your eyes, okay? I didn't
mean to do that! Fuck man! I didn't realize I was hurting you!" Suddenly hands
ripped Butch away from her and her father's face came into view. Dr.
Lawrence's gaze snapped to look at the youth.
"Deloria, this will be reported to head of security. You could have killed
her!" He snarled, everyone backing up at seeing the doc so angry when his
demeanor was normally so calm.
"If I catch you doing anything to her again, I will deal with you myself."
Rosalinn in the meantime was coughing and taking ragged, gasping
breaths, for the first time looking scared of the boy. The wobbly teen got up as
she regained her ability to breathe normally, holding her throat, her eyes foggy.
She closed them and stood still for a second, swallowing and rubbing the flesh
on her neck, before turning and disappearing down the hall at a run, a small sob
escaping her lips. Amata stared angrily at Butch; Chloe looked more concerned
for her friend. James only followed his daughter, his dark eyes full of anger. The
crowd dispersed, chattering about the incident, leaving Butch with
his boys. Wally was leaning against the wall, looking pensive and Paul looked
much the same as he stared in the direction of Rosalinn's place.
"You went too far, Butch. What's you're problem anyway? Starting to think
she's not the only spaz in the vault." Wally said, his tone suggesting he was not
angry, but unimpressed.
"We don't fuck with people when they don't deserve it. All she did was
walk into you. You've been touchy for weeks and it's started to piss me off.
Shape up or fuck off." He said before turning to leave, Paul following silently
without looking at Butch, as though he were ashamed.
The Serpent King hung his head as a deafening silence hung around him.
He knew he was safe; the Overseer wouldn't touch him because after all, he was
paying the boys to rough her up to keep her in line. But was he really going too
far? And why did he do it anyways? He had only ever teased her, but never more
than that. Why was he starting to be so physical with her? He shook his head
and headed down the hall for home, shoving his hands in his pocket. He needed
to be on his own and chances are his mother was already down and out.
Rosalinn had locked herself in her room, intending to isolate herself as protection
from stares and sympathy. She touched her neck and winced, hissing a little at the
exposed skin that had become raw from her shifting her head so much. Her thoughts
went to Butch and his actions. She didn't hate him. She felt like she should, but she
couldn't, and she didn't even know why.
Rosalinn closed her eyes and buried her face in her arms as she hugged
her knees close.
'I want out.' She thought bitterly. Little did she know she would get that
wish soon enough.
A few days later, the scuffle after class had become ancient history, and things continued
on; with the addition of daily training for work right after class. Some whined about
the lack of free time and freedom, others just accepted. Rosalinn had been working
with her father since she was fifteen, and observing for longer, so working after
school never bothered her.
Today, Rosalinn had rushed from the classroom to her father's clinic, desperate to
avoid everyone else. Her face still burned at the thought of what had happened;
and she swallowed every time she remembered how it felt to have Butch's knuckles
pressed to her throat.
She entered the clinic and Jonas looked up from some work and immediately smiled,
but held a finger to his lips, then motioned towards her father's office. She peeked
in to find her father had nodded off at his desk again. She sighed and looked at Jonas.
"You're almost done for the day right? There's what, an hour left?"
"Yeah, something like that. Why?"
"Because you're going to take my Dad home and I'm going to clean the clinic.
And then you're gonna go home, too, because you both work too hard."
Before Jonas could object, she slipped into the office and gently roused the doctor.
"Dad, go home and eat and sleep."
"Oh, Rosalinn, hi. I didn't hear you come in."
"Yeah, well, your snoring could drown out a nuke, so I'm not surprised."
"I was just resting my eyes, I wasn't asleep. And I certainly wasn't snoring." he
retorted sternly.
"Pft, classic old man response."
"Is my own daughter calling me old?"
"Yep. If you're gonna go falling asleep at your desk and then deny it, absolutely."
"Rosalinn, as I said, I was not asl-"
"Bullshit."
"Language."
"When you stop bullshitting, I'll stop swearing."
"..."
"Checkmate, because you're not going to stop bullshitting. Now get out of here
before I stick you with a tranquilizer, and make Jonas drag you home."
"You wouldn't." James looked up at his daughter with a raised eyebrow, as Jonas
snickered from his position, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed,
looking very amused at his mentor's daughter besting him.
"Don't tempt me, Dad, because I would, and you know it." She said with her
hands on her hips.
The doctor sighed and stood.
"Stubborn girl."
"Yeah, well, look who's talking? Besides, you can't take care of anyone else
until you-"
"-take care of yourself. Yes, sweetheart, I know." He stopped and looked at
her, then smiled warmly.
"How is it that my sixteen year old daughter has the ability to make me feel
like a scolded child?"
"I learned from the best."
"Me?"
"Pft, no, I got if from Mum. You've told me too many stories of her bringing you
down a couple pegs."
James grunted and walked over to his daughter, then hugged her tightly.
"I'm going. Come on, Jonas, let's get out of the future doctor's way."
Jonas grinned wider.
"Sure thing, Doc. Goodnight, Rosie."
"Night Jonas. Night Dad. Love you."
"Love you too, honey." Waved the man as he walked out, followed by Jonas.
"The amount of her mother that comes out of her mouth, sometimes, is
absolute insanity." He muttered with a chuckle.
"Well, Doc, I guess that means she'll be okay."
James' face fell.
"Yes, I suppose she will."
After a few hours, the clinic was in top shape and ready for another day.
Rosalinn had even taken the time to refill some of the medical supplies from
the storage room and change the sheets on the beds. She smiled at her
work and headed into the office portion to tidy her Dad's desk. She had
gotten some of his files put away when she heard a voice.
"Doc? Are you here? I-I need help."
That was Butch.
The girl took a breath and turned towards the door, then walked out of the
back to see Butch sitting on a chair, holding his face.
He looked up at her and was silent, and she stared at him until she noticed
he was bleeding.
"Where's the Doc, nosebleed?"
"Home. Resting." She said, thin-lipped. She grabbed a cloth and some gauze
and approached him, then crouched in front of him and pulled his hands away.
There was a gash beside his right eye, and a couple pieces of glass sticking
out. He looked at her wide-eyed, stunned at her gentle touch as she
pressed the damp cloth to his face, before he was brought back to reality
by a sharp pain.
"Hey don't touch me, man!" He hissed, pulling from her touch.
"Do you want to bleed out?"
"No, but you ain't touchin' me."
She gritted her teeth and stood, dropping the cloth on his lap.
"Fine." She turned to leave, but a hand clamped around her wrist. Rosalinn
looked back, panic inking her vision - until she saw his expression.
"I'm sorry, okay? Fix me up. Please." He asked, almost pleaded.
She could see he was still acting tough, because it was her after all;
but she could also see pain in his eyes, and it was caused by more than
his injury. Rosalinn sighed and pulled him to his feet, then led him by
the hand to a bed behind a curtain.
"Jacket off, vault suit down, shirt off, lay down."
He grunted and followed her orders, placing his around the back of a chair
and his shirt on top of it, then laid down as he was told.
Rosalinn pushed a medical tray on wheels up to the bed, and turned a medical
light so it would shine down on him when it was on; and was also looking
completely stoic as she desperately tried to ignore the bare chest in front of her.
"Close your eyes. These things are bright."
He eyes her and did what she asked, wincing still when she turned it on.
"I'm going to clean it first. I can't give you pain killers yet, so just take some breaths."
He nodded, his hands clenching the sheets out of nerves and feeling exposed.
Rosie noticed.
"Calm down. I won't hurt you just because you're vulnerable."
Butch swallowed.
She cleaned the blood from his face, constantly rinsing the cloth in warm water
and running it gently over his skin. It was comforting to Butch, which was not
something he expected given who it was doing it.
When she had a clear view of his wound, she nodded.
"I have to pull out some glass, and I will need to stitch it."
She gently moved his head to line it with his spine, her hands on either side of his face.
His heart thumped; and so did hers.
"Open your eyes."
When he did, his breath hitched.
While Rosalinn was checking his eyes for a concussion, and looking at the
eye beside his wound to check for damage to the eye itself, he was thinking
something he never thought he would.
The bright light looked like a halo. It made her raven hair shine. It was so
black, like his leather, and it looked soft. And her eyes we so blue - as blue
as his own but they sparkled like jewels. And her lashes were long.
When she finally moved, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She had turned
in time to miss the blush that crossed his cheeks and the stunned
expression. Her voice broke him from his stupor.
"You don't have a concussion, so that's good. And lucky for you, there's
no actual damage to your eyeball."
"That's, uh, good. Thanks."
"I'm going to give you some Med-X in the location, just sub-dermally;
then I will remove the glass and stitch it."
Rosalinn felt detached from her voice. He had caught her completely off
guard. The bright light illuminated everything. His eyes, his freckles, his
natural pout. He was handsome, and it was getting to her, but she put
on her best poker face and went to work.
"Take a breath. I'm going to make some injections."
He disliked the pinpricks of the needle, but he didn't mind her being
near.
Hell, he felt comfortable.
"Was that okay?"
"Yeah, didn't feel much."
"Good. Going to clean it now."
As gently as she could, she plucked the shards of glass from the flesh,
thankful the shards were brown.
"Beer bottle?" she asked as she put down the tweezers and reached for
a small bottle of water and a fresh cloth.
"Yeah." he responded, not looking at her.
She watched him for a moment before placing the cloth over his eye and
using the bottle to rinse the wound. He almost jumped at the cold water
sliding down his face and neck, and disliked the feeling of it pooling
underneath his shoulder.
"Fuckin' cold." He grunted.
"Sorry." She pulled the towel off his eye and used it to wipe up what she
could.
She picked up the needle and thread next. He stiffened.
Rosalinn watched him.
"Close your eyes, Butch."
He grimly nodded. She threaded the crescent-shaped needle and looked
at his wound, deciding to start from closer to the eye.
A few minutes later, he took a breath and spoke.
"Have you started?" He asked, sounding nervous.
"It's done."
Butch looked at her, looking stunned.
"I didn't feel it."
Rosalinn showed him in a mirror, and he nodded. It would scar, but the
wound was so neat that the scar would be barely noticeable.
She cleaned it with antiseptic and placed a bandage of gauze and
medical tape over it.
Once she'd finished up, she stood, and he sat up.
She looked alarmed.
"Hey, take it easy. You're medicated."
She took the opportunity to wipe the water from his back, though, and
then handed him his shirt.
"Thanks Noseb- Rosalinn." She stopped what she was doing and looked
at him.
"Yeah, no problem. Get some rest." Maybe now she could stop looking at
his chest.
"Here?"
"You wanna go home?"
He was silent for a time. She knew exactly what happened and he
knew she had figured it out. She didn't have to say a word, and neither
did he.
"No. I guess I'm campin' here tonight."
Rosalinn left the room as he zipped up his vault suit and laid back down.
When she returned, she had one of old Lady Palmer's rolls and some Nuka.
"Here, you need sugar. You lost a lot of blood."
He looked surprised.
"Can't believe you're doin' this for me."
She moved to clean up the blood by the door.
"I'm the future doctor, and bedside manners count."
He ate in silence, watching her eat as she worked, his eyes following
her every move. At some point, she stopped in front of a mirror and
eyed her hair, which was falling out of it's bun. She huffed, and he smiled
at that. Then the girl tugged her hair down and combed her fingers
through it before re-doing the style and continuing on.
Butch looked away and put his head down, closing his eyes as he tried to
push her from his mind.
He fell asleep to the sound of her bustling around quietly.
The next morning, when her father returned to work with Jonas in tow, he
stopped at the door and stared.
Butch was asleep on a bed, and Rosalinn was off to the side, asleep in a chair.
Jonas looked at Doctor Lawrence.
"You gonna wake them, or should I?"
James shook his head.
"No, leave them."
The younger man smiled.
"Think it's a shame to disturb them because they've potentially bonded
and it's sweet?"
"That," The doctor grinned.
"...and I want pictures."
"You're bad, Doc."
"I'm a father, Jonas."
The two men set about their business, letting the teens sleep for a little while
longer - after pictures had been obtained.
~Year 19~
"Rosalinn, Rosalinn, please wake up! Come on, this is no time to sleep through
me! Get up!" cried Amata as she shook her best friend awake. Rosalinn rubbed
her eyes and sat for a second before registering the look on Amata's face and
her tone as being anything but happy.
"Whoa, Amata, what's going on? What's the matter?"
Amata's eyebrows furrowed, and she hugged herself.
"Your Dad left the vault. And they - the guards went after Jonas. He...
he's gone. They killed him. Everything's wrong and... and they're going to come
after you if you don't get out of here!"
Rosalinn's jaw dropped slightly in disbelief.
"L-leave the vault? Me? My- my Dad left?" Amata nodded and sniffed,
then reached into her vault suit and pulled out a gun.
"I took this from my father. Only use it if you have to! And there's
a tunnel in my dad's office that leads to the entrance. You can get out through
there. I'll meet you at the door if I can, but don't wait for me."
Amata said before giving Rosalinn a quick hug and running away. Rosalinn
stood stock still for a second before grabbing her bag and packing it
with everything she thought she would need and anything special. After a
moment or two, she peeked out the door of her place and caught sight of one
of the security guards,
Officer Kendall, baton out and waiting. "Hey, you! Stop! Stop right there!"
He shouted, advancing towards her. Rosalinn gasped and backed up, preparing
herself. Just as she thought she was in trouble, she heard him yell. There were
radroaches all around him.
"Get it off!" He cried, beating them as best as he could. She cringed, but
she decided to take the initiative to run while he was distracted. She slipped into
the bathroom, and then out, crossing the hall into the next one, then into the
next hall. After taking a moment to settle her breathing, she was ready to go again.
She would have left immediately if it hadn't been for Butch running into the hall
from his place, looking panicked. When he saw her he instantly ran for her.
"You gotta help me, my mom's trapped in our room with radroaches! I can't
get to 'er!" He exclaimed, his pale blue eyes flashing between her and his place.
Rosalinn stood aback, her own ice blue eyes wide and staring warily. Butch
hung his head for a second before continuing.
"Look man, I know I'm an asshole sometimes, but you can't just let my
mom die! She's all I've got!" The woman watched her life-long rival plead for his
mother's safety. She remembered then, the pleading look he had on his face a
few years ago as he asked for her help with his wound, given by the same
woman he was begging her to help. Rosalinn sighed and pulled out her BB gun,
moving past Butch and down the hall into the room. She aimed and popped the
first roach, snapping a wing off, then aimed again and caught it in the shell,
splitting it. One down, two to go.
"Butchie, help me!" she cried, shielding herself. Rosalinn aimed again and
split the head open of the second. The third one was looking at her and
advancing. She snarled a little and grabbed her bat and smashed it, the bat
rebounding into the air. She was panting by the time she had gotten them all
and made sure Ellen was safe. Butch watched in awe for a second as she helped
Ellen up and onto the bed, then he approached Rosalinn, his feelings for her
changed. He grabbed his jacket and pulled it off, then handed it to her.
"You... you saved my mother an' you didn't have to. I feel like I owe you,
so here. Take it. Consider yourself a Tunnel Snake." Butch said with a small
smile. Rosalinn blinked and took the jacket slowly. She looked at Butch and
nodded. "You'll be fine now. I have to go." She said softly, slipping the jacket on.
Movement caught her eye as Butch grabbed her and shoved her back into a
closet, shutting the door. Officer Kendall, who had survived the roaches, was
there. The Tunnel Snake wandered out of his front door to meet the officer.
"Butch, you ought to be in your room. You know the consequences if you
disobey an order." He said with warning in his voice. Butch nodded.
"Sure thing, Officer Kendall. I'll go back inside right now."
"Good, oh and Butch, you seen the Doc's kid?"
"Yeah, sir, I have. She went the other way, towards the lounge. Sorry I
can't help more." Unused to the boy being compliant, Kendall narrowed his
eyes at him.
"Just go back inside Butch, and don't let me catch you out here again."
Rosalinn felt her chest swell in gratuity. She heard footsteps approach and Butch
opened the door again, moving so she could get out.
"That oughtta buy ya some time." he said, a cocky grin spreading over his
face. She smiled and nodded.
"Thank you." She said softly before darting out of the room. As she
rushed out the door, a letter fell from her pack and fluttered to the floor. Butch
picked it up and frowned in confusion when he saw it was addressed to him.
He went into his room and closed the door so his mother wouldn't see. After
dropping down on his bed, he opened it and unfolded the piece of paper. At
the top was a date indicating the letter had been written, in very neat
cursive, well over a year ago.
Butch,
I never thought I would be writing something like this, but it needs to be out
of my head, so I don't go accidentally blurting it out and making a fool out of
myself.
I'll start by saying that nothing has ever made sense to me. Not the way people
treat me, not the way the vault works, none of it – not until I broke into the
Overseers office and, and his terminal. I learned that he closed the vault
permanently a long time ago, after it had been open for years…and that's how
I came to be here. I wasn't born here, and neither was Dad. I was born
somewhere else, and the Overseer let us in because the vault needed a doctor.
And now it all makes sense.
And I know he's forced you and the other Tunnel Snakes to bully me, hurt me –
I guess he wanted to keep the outsider in line. Knowing this, I thought back to
all the run-ins we've had, and how sometimes you'd only spit out a few harsh
words, but other times you'd physically rough me up. There's more than hatred
in your eyes when you look at me - it's desperation, the need for survival. That's
what it has come down to in here because the Overseer is a power-hungry
asshole and lacks the ability to care enough to make it a home. I understand
the struggle to try to make things normal.
I'm venting - rambling.
I guess I'll get to the point.
I understand more than you realize, and I'm not angry at you for doing what
you have had to do.
This is crazy.
I love you, Butch Deloria.
I think I have for a long time. I couldn't explain it before, and I can't really now;
but I can say that part of it is because we're similar and, in my own way, I feel
your pain.
Here's hoping that at some point it won't hurt when you touch me. I think we
could help each other with our pain. Protect each other, even.
I hope that at some point you will let me love you, and maybe you'll love me too.
- Rosalinn
Butch stared, slack-jawed, at the letter. He could scarcely believe what he
read, so he read it again, then tucked the letter into the envelope and into his
vault suit.
She loved him.
His stomach twisted in a way he'd never felt, and his breath caught in his throat.
"I can't fuckin' believe it. She knew. She knew, and she fuckin' let me hurt 'er
to save my stupid ass." The Serpent King looked up at the door, grabbed his jacket
and almost flew out of his apartment. Order, or no order, he had to get to her
before she left.
Rosalinn had made it to the Overseer's office after breaking up a horrible
situation between the Overseer, Officer Mack, Amata, and a baton. They were on
her tail but she had managed to lock them out of the office. She opened the
tunnel and almost fell down the stairs in an effort to move quickly, then pressed
the button to close it after her. She must have made it just in time because she
could hear them above her, questioning where she was. Rosalinn took a moment
to wonder if they even knew about the tunnels, She ran for it, going through
doors and closing them behind her as fast as she could until she got to the
entrance. There it was. The thick metal door between herself, freedom, and
finding her father. She took a breath and pulled down the handle. A loud alarm
sounded, and lights started flashing. A creaking sound erupted in her eardrums,
causing her to clap her hands over her ears as she descended the stairs to leave.
Suddenly a door opened behind her and Amata rushed in.
"Oh my God, you opened the door!" she exclaimed. "You actually did it!"
Rosalinn looked back and nodded silently, grimly.
"Couldn't have done it without you warning me and helping me out. Thank
you Amata."
Amata shook her head.
"You're welcome, but I'm sure you could have done it without me. I'm so sorry
it's come to this. But you should go. I hope things will get better and that we see
each other again some day."
Rosalinn nodded and hugged her, then turned and left wordlessly. Amata
immediately started to shut the gear-shaped door just as Butch burst in. He
watched as Rosalinn disappeared from sight and fell to his knees.
"No." He said softly, the letter in his inside pocket, close to his heart.
Amata looked down, confused, but grabbed him and tugged him out of the
room just as the guards came in. But they were too late. The door had been
opened and closed, and she was gone.
Butch dropped down to the floor in the empty hidden room as Amata stared down
at him.
"What's going on?" She asked simply.
He looked up, his hand still on the letter that he'd moved from inside his vault suit to
inside his jacket.
He looked broken, almost scared.
"I fucked up, Amata. I really fucked up. And now I can't take it back."
Butch stood, ran a hand through his hair and vacated the room. Amata watched him
go, more confused than when she asked.
Butch stormed back to his apartment, ignoring his mother as he went into his room
and locked the door. He pulled out the letter once more and stared at his name on
the envelope.
"This ain't gonna be the last time I see you. I fuckin' know it. And when you come
back, I am never lettin' you leave my sight again."