12. Shadows: Nora hides her emotions

The heat of summer had driven Nora and Hancock to shed their coats. Nora didn't mind, she was still fairly protected in her colonial shirt and vest, but she teased Hancock. Without his red frock he looked more like a pirate than a politician.

Nora smiled in the sunshine. She'd always preferred summer over winter.

"And yet you're here with me." She could hear Nate's voice in her ear as she lead Hancock across the Commonwealth. She shook her head, hoping to push thoughts of him away. Nate was always good at distracting her from what she needed to do. Even in death.

They approached The Slog and Nora made her presence known before stepping over the collapsed, rusted, chain-linked fence. "Hello? I received word to speak with Wiseman?" Hancock made a sound like choked surprise when they rounded the old pool house into view of the workers. Nora glanced back at him but he gave her a reassuring nod.

"You always could catch someone in a lie." Nate's laugh echoed in her head.

Nora squared her shoulders and walked over to the pool, "you again?" A young ghoul scoffed. He stood up and arched his back, stretching out after having been slouched over most the morning.

"Wiseman called for me, Jones." Nora smiled as politely as she could. She wanted The Slog to join the Minutemen. Not out of her duty as the General, but because The Slog was full of hard-working, honest people, and she wanted more of them in the Commonwealth. She'd offered her services once before to Wiseman, but he'd turned her down, saying an alliance like that would put a target on the back of his people.

Jones eyed Nora up and down, then his dark eyes flitted over to Hancock. Nora watched as levels of recognition moved Jones's brows. He eventually just nodded over his shoulder. "He's in the garden." Nora thanked him. She'd talk to Hancock later about all these puzzling pieces that didn't seem to align. For now, she had a job to do.

Nora cautiously stepped into the garden and cleared her throat. The other three workers only paused for a second before turning back to their work. Wiseman rose to his feet at the sound of her. He wiped his hands off on his pants and walked over with a hand outstretched. Nora met his with hers and gave it a few good shakes. "Thank goodness you're here. I didn't think you'd come after last time." Wiseman looked relieved, yet stress still creased his scarred forehead.

"I told you," Nora smiled, "the Minutemen would always be here for you."

"Thank goodness for that." Wiseman repeated. His eyes flickered over Nora's shoulder and she turned to see Hancock awkwardly standing with his hands in his pockets outside the garden fence.

"He's with me." She turned back around, "what seems to be the problem?"

"Mutants." Wiseman answered, finally turning back to look at Nora. "They came rampaging by the other day. Took everything, nearly destroyed it all as they left."

"That would explain the fence and Jones's mood, worse than usual." Nora said aloud without meaning to.

Wiseman actually cracked a laugh, despite the situation, "yeah, we're working on the fence. Jones is a lost cause though." Nora smiled. "But in all seriousness, I'm terrified of them coming back. I don't know if they were passing through and picking us off, but I don't want to know."

"It's okay. I'll take care of it. Any ideas where they might be?" Nora shifted from one foot to the other. The hot sun overhead wasn't letting up anytime soon, but Nora didn't want to wipe the sweat off her forehead in the middle pf a conversation. She needed to appear composed and collected.

"I've got a good idea," he motioned to her Pip-Boy and she pulled up her map. He stood over her shoulder and pointed out a spot she hadn't been to before.

"Thanks, I'll head over right away." It was a days walk away, and if she wanted to convince Wiseman to rely on the Minutemen she needed to get this job done as soon as possible. She stepped out of the garden and looked up at Hancock, "ready to go?" She asked.

"Let's get this freakshow on the road." Hancock finally took his hands out of his pockets. They left just as unnoticed as they'd came.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Nora found she wasn't much for talking on the road, too many dangers. Occasionally Hancock would say something or make a remark on a landmark, but they mostly traveled in silence.

Normally this would have been fine, but Nora had been thinking of her late husband more and more often recently. She was saving up caps to buy a weapon from Kleo (the assaultron was vicious and honestly terrified Nora, but she'd be damned if she had to deal with Arturo's sad flirting attempts or Myrna's racism) that would, hopefully, get her closer to Kellogg. It was tiresome work, but that kind of work usually kept Nate from her thoughts.

"Come on babe, you need to relax."

"I'm fine." Nora huffed with a hint of annoyance.

"Thanks for sharing?" Hancock glanced at her as he matched her slowed pace. "You been hitting my stash, sister?" He asked.

"I thought you-" she groaned, "I'm sorry. I think it's the heat getting to me."

"Need a break?" Hancock seemed genuinely concerned. Nora could have laughed if she didn't fear it would prove her deterioration into madness. Instead she shook her head and they pressed on in silence.

They made it three-quarters of the way to the Super Mutant hideout when they decided to stop for the night. It wasn't hard to find a hiding spot for the night, caravans often traveled this old road and there were plenty of mattresses and roofs to spare. Luckily for them, the little rest stop was unoccupied.

Nora laid her gun down at her side and slid down a wall with a heavy sigh. Hancock sat across from her, "you look like you could use this." He held up a pack of mentats between his fingers.

Nora smiled, "no thanks."

"Jet more your kind of ride?"

"You know I don't use those." She crossed her arms, "Unless I'm digging a bullet out of my leg." She told herself. "If I want to melt my mind I'll do it the good old fashioned way. Alcohol." Nora said out loud. She crossed her feet at her ankles.

Hancock rested one elbow up on a propped up knee. "Suit yourself." He took a hit of jet, tucking his favored mentats away in a pocket.

Nora turned to look away as Hancock settled into a more comfortable resting position.

"You're allowed to look, just don't touch." She heard Nate's laughter. She clenched her teeth, her face getting hot. Hancock was her partner, he had her back, they trusted each other. She didn't want to complicate things.

Nora glanced at Hancock. He was rail thin under his frock, which even as a ghoul was odd. It's like the man survived on flavored chems, cigarettes, and alcohol alone. He wasn't as frail as he looked though. Nora thought back to straddling his lap, him carrying her to Diamond City, him repeatedly carrying her to bed. He was sturdy. He seemed to perfectly embody the ruins of her old life. Decayed, but sturdy.

Very sturdy. Nora tried to hide her clenched fists without making it obvious she was doing so. Her face felt hot as she tried not to think about his hips holding her up. She especially tried hard not to think about if those hips could hold her up against a wall for a period of time. Nora stared into the distance, her thoughts spiraling out of her control. Hancock could probably pin her with one hand behind his back, and given what Irma had told her, she was sure she'd let him. She recalled the feel of his skin under her bare hands as she straddled his lap. Electrifying. That was all she could think of. She gripped her pants, twisting the fabric in her gloved hands. Her heart started to thump erratically as a warmth filled her chest.

"I'll take first watch." Nora blurted out loud, afraid she'd go crazy in the silence. She usually took first watch, too wired to get to sleep immediately.

Hancock looked at her, curious at her outburst, "suit yourself." He laid down with his back to her, getting comfortable. She studied the curve of his back, her thoughts body slamming into the gutter as she wondered what it would take to make his back arch in pleasure. What would it take to get the good mayor of Goodneighbor to moan? Nora pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes and held back a groan. She didn't need these kinds of thought compromising the trust she had with Hancock.

"You're too kind, Nora." Nate's voice tormented her.

"Nate, please." Nora wanted to plead, "I'm no soldier, I'm doing the best I can.

"And I'm so proud of you, honey." She wasn't sure what compelled her to, but she stood, ready to use 'securing the area' as an excuse should Hancock wake up, and felt familiar arms wrap around her, a familiar face buried in her hair. The smell of mint and pine pulled Nora out of the derelict house. She turned, eyes burning as tears threatened to spill over.

"Nate?" Her voice trembled. She was in her immaculately clean kitchen. Everything was as she remembered it to be before the bombs fell.

Nate smiled at her, dark eyes half-lidded. "Look at you, beautiful as the day we met." He swept Nora into his arms, spinning her around. Nora laughed. "Nora, I love you so much."

"I love you too," Nora ran her hands over his face, down his arms and chest, feeling him. He was really there. "I can't believe it." Nora breathed into his shirt, clinging to him.

"Believe what? Baby girl?" Nate's arms encompassed her and he began to gently sway them both back and forth.

"That you're here. I thought you were dead." Nora pulled back enough to look at him.

"Baby girl," he tucked a loose curl of hair back behind her ear, "I am."

"Nate?" Nora's heart began to ache.

"Babes? Hey, babes? Nora!" Nora blinked the tears out of her eyes to see Hancock looking at her with concern. One hand was on her shoulder and the other cupped her cheek. "Jesus, sister, thought I'd lost you there for a second." Nora let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Sorry," she gasped, "did I wake you?"

"You okay?" He avoided her question.

Two could play that game, "Don't worry."

Hancock sat back, unhappy with her response. Nora was just thankful the shadows of the building hid her tears.