AN: OK, this chapter gets a little gruesome at the Kellogg part. I apologize but I really wanted to do the scene justice,
also There's not really an excuse for not uploading chapters for so long. ;^;
Physical Therapy is really difficult and time consuming!
The brisk December chill ran down Juniper's spine as she and MacCready headed south to Fort Hagen. It had been a long time coming and finally she felt ready to confront Kellogg. With all of Preston's training, and With him constantly assigning her settlements, her experience in combat had excelled everyone's expectations. It had it's downsides though, the overwhelming outcry for help in the commonwealth, had been a huge distraction for finding Shaun.
Not anymore though, I'm finding him today.
Although MacCready and her had admitted the start of their feelings for eachother, they both were hesitant. It had only been a few weeks since they met, although the tension made it feel like otherwise. Juniper tried not to think about the night before, the way his hard body felt against hers.
"What do you think he'll look like?" His question broke the accidental silence. Jujniper felt her cheeks flush a little.
" What do you mean?" He shrugged and looked off the road towards the Mirelurks in a body of water. They were far enough away that they didn't pose a threat, but he stilled watched them carefully.
" Valentine said everyone saw a 10 year old right, what do you think he looks like now?"
That's right, Would I even recognize him anymore?
Juniper glanced over her laser rifle as she thought. " I really don't know, I was hoping they'd just be rumours." Sighing, she kicked a piece of the crumbling freeway. He could even look more like Al than her, he was so young there's no way to be certain.
" It's too good to be true though, him still being a baby. I want him to be, but on the other hand trying to look after settlements while raising a toddler?" How do people even do that after the bombs fell? There's no way to ever be sure that your safe, even if you live in Diamond city.
" It can be hard, but it's not impossible." MacCready said solemnly. The conversation about his son replayed in her head.
" Mac, I didn't mean anythin-"
" I know you didn't, Don't worry about Shaun being older. We're going to get him back, you can count on that Boss." MacCready gave her a reassuring glance and squeezed her shoulder as they continued to walk. Juniper looked at him affectionately and knew he was right.
What would I do without you?
Fort Hagen's defenses were no match for MacCready, he took out each turret easily. Each turret that went down Juniper felt her palms starting to sweat, this was finally happening.
" The hatch is over here, there might be more down there so keep an eye out." MacCready opened the hatch on the roof that lead into Fort Hagen. Taking a deep breathe she grabbed the door and jumped down. The decay from the building wasn't as bad as others she'd been in. Parchment was littering the floors and the smell of dust was penetrating her senses. Juniper felt her throat burn, and muffled a cough.
" Is someone present?" A mechanical voice echoed through the desolate halls of the Fort. MacCready nodded over towards next corridor. Two tall all white mechanical looking humanoids briskly walked past them. Juniper grabbed MacCready's duster and jerked him back from the next room. " Curious." One of the Synths walked further than the other. Taking the opportunity Juniper signaled MacCready and she pointed her rifle at the farther away one. He nodded and waited for her to make the first move. Juniper fired 3 rounds, the first two into the backs of each artificial knee cap. The last one went through it's skull. MacCready followed suit and jabbed the synth's neck hard enough to knock its head off. More Synths piled into the room one after another, MacCready took out the ones with protective visors on, while Juniper fired swiftly at the unprotected ones. "Directive received from Kellogg, kill the intruders" A synth relayed right before MacCready smashed its skull in. He looked around at the wreckage, sweat dripping down his temple.
" I thought Synths were tougher than that?" She kicked at the exposed wires of a downed synth watching the lingering sparks. She felt herself sweating too, and blew upwards at her stray hairs. The floor they were on was slowly crumbling into the next, and she didn't want to be around when the whole thing came tumbling down.
" They usually are, these look like older models though." He was crouched over one that held a resemblance to Nick. He looked lost in thought, as he ran his hand over his goatee.
" Why would Kellogg...Jesus MacCready how involved is he with the institute?" Juniper felt her throat going dry. This wasn't going to shake her confidence down, she was getting her son back. The whole institute could be swarming under the fort, it didn't matter anymore. At the thought she felt herself straighten.
" Common, let's keep going, I keep feeling eyes on my back." MacCready looked uneasy as they descended farther into the Fort. One by one, each synth they came across was disposed of. She stopped when she saw the elevator, MacCready had walked over and pressed the down button. She felt her anxiety pushing it's way up through her arms and rising. Juniper shook, the closer she got towards her son the more started to come unhinged. They walked into the elevator without a word, the speaker buzzed when the floor was announced. The blasts from the bomb should have destroyed it but somehow Elevators still worked. Juniper took one step and heard his voice. The hairs on her arms prickled against her suit when Kellogg spoke through the speakers mocking her. MacCready searched for synths, while she walked down the the hallway.
"What do you expect to accomplish here? Leave." His voice made her shake, Juniper wasn't afraid anymore she was overflowing with what felt like rage. MacCready glanced over at her and nervously looked back towards the next hallway. Her heartbeat throbbed through her body, with each door she went through she new she was getting closer. There was going to be a confrontation, with the man who took everything from her, killed her husband in front of their newborn.
" You're in way over your head. Leave now, not a lot of people have that option." Without thinking Juniper grabbed the speaker off the wall and slammed it on the ground.
" I'm not leaving until I have my son back, you piece of shit." Juniper looked around the hallway wildly. " Do you hear me? I'm going to fucking kill you." She started to walk towards the next door, and was grabbed by her arm.
" Hey, calm down. You need to keep your head if we're going to do this." MacCready's eyed her filled with worry. Juniper freed her arm gently, and took a steadying breath.
" When we find him, He's mine. Do you understand?" Her Eyes pierced through him, he nodded watching her push open the next door. She'd always been level headed throughout their partnership, this didn't even seem like her.
Juniper stopped in the next room, MacCready caught up and followed her gaze. A clean smaller bed with a prewar spaceship rug underneath it. There were other strangely clean and new looking containers around the room. MacCready handed her the ammo while she ran her hands over the top sheet of the bed.
" He must have kept Shaun here, He must be the 10 year old." Before MacCready could respond, the speaker buzzed again. Kellogg sighed, before he spoke.
" Alright, you made it this far, my Synths are standing down. Let's talk in the next room." Juniper watched the door open by itself and reloaded her rifle, taking a deep breath.
" Not going to rip that one down huh?" MacCready smiled at her, and she smirked holding back a laugh.
" Before we go in, I wanted to tell you.." She paused and MacCready waved his hand.
" Don't say anything yet, not before we have Shaun back." Juniper nodded back at him and they walked through the door into the hallway. Synths escorted her into the next room, where she saw him. Not a day older, and lighting a cigarette. Even in the darkness of the dim room she watched his features through the lighter. He looked at her from across the room, and snapped his lighter shut.
" And there she is, the most resilient woman in the commonwealth. Probably even the whole wasteland if I'm being honest."
" Where is my son, tell me now." Each word came out slowly, trying to steady herself. Each synth eyed her from around the room.
" Right to the point, I like that. Shaun's a good kid a little older now but I'm guessing you figured that out. You're a smart Pre war housewife." He smiled at her inhaling the stale tobacco.
" You mercenary piece of shit, tell me where he is now. If you've hurt even one hair on his head." Her teeth ground into each other, as she stood her ground watching the surprise on his face.
" What's the saying, So close but so far away? That's Shaun." He inhaled once more, and his dark eyes looked away from her. " He's in a good place, the institute. Safer than you'd would have been able to give him anyway." Once Kellogg said he wasn't there the room felt uneven. Juniper fought to stay upright. " You'll die knowing that he's alright, you don't have to keep searching anymore."
" Nothing will stop me from finding my son, institute or not." She said through her teeth. Kellogg just laughed half heartily.
" God you're persistent, I'd like to think that if the table were turned I'd be the same way." His brows furrowed as he gestured. " That's how a parent should be." MacCready watched them both cautiously, there was only one way this was going to end. It was always going to be this way, no way around it, even with half a dozen synths pointing laser rifles at them from all angles.
" We've been talking for too long though, we all know how this ends. Are you ready?" Kellogg asked Juniper as she uncharacteristically laughed back at him taking the room by surprise.
" In a hundred years when I die, I hope I get to go to hell. Just to kill you over and over again. You ugly piece of shit." Juniper triggered two pulse grenades in her pocket and tossed them left and right. Kellogg took a square container from behind his back, MacCready aimed for his hand and quickly shot at it. Kellogg screamed dropping the Stealth boy. The grenades stunned and destroyed all but 2 synths which MacCready turned his focus on. This was her kill, she had earned that much.
Juniper crouched while the grenades had gone off and watched MacCready take aim for the other two intact synths Kellogg snarled and hastily tried to maneuver his good hand on the stealth boy. Juniper ran over to him, and landed a solid hit into the side of his face. He grabbed her rifled and pulled her and everything on the nearest desk down with him. Landing hard on her right shoulder blade she felt shards of glass from the desk and scrambled to catch her breathe. Kellogg got up faster and straddled her, using his knees to crush into her biceps. His features hardened as he punched Juniper square in the jaw. She felt searing pain as blood from his head gash dripped onto her forehead.
" This could have been different, you could have started over. Had another kid, but you just couldn't let Shaun go huh?" He punched her again, this time she cried out. " I hate having to do this especially to women, you made me do this." Juniper ran her fingers all over the damp ground searching for her rifle, she felt both his and her blood mixing on the ground. He missed, and punched her cheek but the pain shot across her body. She screamed muffled by the blood in her mouth, and felt some of her teeth loosen when she did.
MacCready finished off the last Synth and heard her scream, a scream he'd never heard before. He ran over and saw her on the ground, with Kellogg on top of her. He fired off two shots into the back of his skull, But he didn't go down. He turned and looked at MacCready, stunned MacCready just stared at him. Kellogg reached down on the ground and fired his revolver once at MacCready. Juniper watched his body go limp and fall to the ground. " No!" Juniper yelled through her tears. Kellogg looked back at her and back at him.
"Guess that makes me two for two. Bad luck." Juniper felt her body shake, she didn't feel anything anymore. Her hands found a piece of broken glass, and her fingers dripped with blood as she dug into the back of his knee. Momentarily he relived some of the weight off her bicep, she pierced his ribcage as many times as she could. He reached out for her face and grabbed onto the side of her head getting locks of hair tangled in his fingers. Juniper gripped onto the glass hard and dove it into the side of his temple, knocking him over. Finally able to inhale, she scrambled upwards and took her rifle in hand. Adrenaline coursed through her as her hair dropped to her shoulders, she watched Kellogg try to push away from her. She lowered the rifle and shot both knee caps, Kellogg cursed loudly and she walked closer to him. Watching him reach for his revolver, she shot his good hand. He sat there in a pool of his blood, out of breath watching her.
"I didn't stand a chance did I?" He tried to laugh and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Juniper just watched him, feeling nothing.
" You know, even like this you're still the spitting image of him maybe even more so." He managed to say before he coughed again, spewing more blood onto his chest. " Sometimes I wonder what his other sibling would have looked liked." Juniper tightened her grip, her face unchanging.
"Nice try, I'm not biting." She raised the rifle and fingered the trigger, but stopped when his face changed. The scar across his eye scrunched up, as he watched her carefully. The room started to feel wobbly again, and she walked over to his body and pressed the barrel against his forehead. The blood ran over the rim, and she watched him.
" The institute, had access to pre war medical records. It's the on-ly way they knew to take Shaun." Kellogg sat up pushed the barrel back with his head. " That's he figured it ou-" His face was pale, and he was starting to lose his focus. Juniper pushed the barrel harder and watched his head tilt backwards onto the filling cabinet.
" You're lying, you've been a dead man walking ever since I stepped out of that fucking vault." Kellogg shook his head as best he could.
" I take back what I said, a mother who only cares about one child. Is worse than any raider." He looked up at her and she stared back at him. She dropped down to his level, and put her rifle besides her. Juniper watched herself, wrap her hands around his throat.
Stop What are you doing?
Her grip tightened, as Kellogg tried to slap at Juniper's face. He clawed at her face, but she didn't feel anything.
Thi is wrong...
She didn't even blink at she watched him struggling to break free from her grasp. It didn't sound like her voice that answered her.
No It's right.
His face kept turning darker and darker shades until she finally pushed him back with all her strength against the edge of the desk. Hearing the noise of his skull fracturing she sat there over his body. The dust in the room was floating in the floodlights on the walls. Her skull pounded, trying to figure out the word he had used.
Sibling.
She looked down at her hands, and started to tremble.
The blood, this blood.
Shaking Juniper tried to wipe it off, but she was covered in both her and Kellogg's blood. Her vision blurred, and she felt the walls starting to tower over her.
Bloody Mary,
She felt herself screaming, but didn't hear anything. The room started to dim, as her head throbbed harder and harder.
Bloody Mary,
She desperately looked away from her hands and saw the extent of what she had done. Kellogg's lifeless eyes met hers, She looked over and saw MacCready's body laying lifeless on the floor, and finally the room went black.
Juniper felt herself drift slowly, as if she was floating in water. She didn't feel any pain, and finally felt at ease.
Open your eyes
She was in an all white room, and felt exhausted. Juniper realized it was a hospital room, but it was a pre war one.
Take a look
She felt a weight placed into her arms, and looked down. "Oh my god." Tears ran down her face.
Now you know what an angel looks like, Congratulations on your baby girl.
The nurse left, the room leaving Juniper and the baby alone. The baby opened her eyes, Juniper smiled back at her. " Green eyes, you're so beautiful." Juniper, didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. " I've been dreaming of you, for weeks. Imagining your face, never knowing until now." She ran her hand down the baby's face and looked at her. " You even have a little ginger hair." She kissed the baby's forehead, holding her softly and cried. She looked back at her trying to memorize each detail, the ginger hair, the deep green eyes, the small freckles all over her button nose, and the way she felt in her arms. "Deep down I knew you were real, I was always so close." They both just watched each other. Sunlight streamed through the windows and she watched it dance across her baby's face. The soft smell of the ocean swept through the room, as the curtains swayed with the breeze.
Juniper..
She felt her heart sink, " No not yet, I just found her." The room dimmed as she heard her name.
Juniper Please, wake up.
" Don't do this to me, I'm begging you." She sobbed, holding onto her baby. She just wanted to stay here, after weeks of the same dream ending right before she got to see her face. The room started to fade, and she felt the weight in her arms disappear. Panicked she looked around the hospital room, the walls were shaking and the soft ocean smell faded into an iron one. " Please.." The room faded to black, and all Juniper felt was the pain in her body.
" Preston, common we don't have that much time look at her!" It was MacCready's voice that boomed around her.
He's alive, Thank god.
Juniper tried to move, but couldn't feel anything.
" Listen MacCready, we're doing the best we can. This wouldn't have happened if you didn't convince her she didn't need backup." Preston threatened back at MacCready.
Am I dying?
" You're just upset, she realized she didn't need you." MacCready's voice cut off and the room sounded muffled.
" Get them both out of here!" Another voice called out, through the static. Juniper tried to open her eyes, and felt a wave of pain go over her. She went to cry out in pain, but only whimpered.
" Someone get me some Med X and an IV!" The voice paused. " Hey, General just hold on a second, nobody needs saving right now but you, just stay still." Juniper felt her heart tighten, her babies needed saving. Tears streamed down her temples, as she was unable to move. She felt a small warmth spread through her wrist, through the rest of her body. Juniper involuntarily sighed with relief, and felt herself slowly slip back into the darkness.
It was impossible to tell, how long it had been. Slowly Juniper felt herself surfacing from the wave she was riding again. Pain coursed through her body again, but not as bad as the first time.
" Hey there, kid just stay still." Mama murphy's voice, whispered softly to her. Juniper tried to open her eyes, the room was only lit with a small candle.
" I wanted to tell you something, I know you all said to stay away from the chems but I knew I had to." Juniper even in pain cringed and listened to her. " I saw you, reuniting with your kids." Juniper paused, and Mama Murphy held onto her hand. " It's OK, I know." She felt herself contort and start to sob, through the pain remembering the loss of two children. " I haven't told anyone about what I saw, I knew you only talked about finding Shaun." Juniper squeezed her hand, and looked at Mama Murphy's outline in the dark room.
" Thank...you." Juniper managed to say. No one had watched over her like this, she'd always been watching over other people.
" I just wanted to tell you, so you know the fight isn't over. There're waiting for you Junnie, I don't know how your little girl made it, she must be a fighter just like her mom." Juniper Smiled through her tears, Shaun maybe at the institute but he has a sister.
It wasn't a dream. I'm going to get them both back.
" Rest now kid, you're going to need it to find them." Mama Murphy squeezed her hand one more time and pushed the blanket over her. She got up and kissed Juniper's forehead and Juniper watched her outline leave the room.
Slowly she drifted back onto that wave again, and felt her pain melt away.
This time Juniper dreamed, she dreamed she was holding both of her children.
