A/N: So, this is the second installment in my little project. I won't lie, things will probably be slow to begin with…just like anyone who wants to get a feel for Fallout 4 gameplay. But this is a story of a Veteran and his civilian wife trying to find their son. I'm trying to write this as realistic as possible as far as personalities and psychology goes. I always found it weird how some authors always made it seem like the female SS (aka Nora in canon) had the same training and mental capacity as Nate; like she was an immediate badass right out the vault. They don't build it up. Nate was trained by the military and fought in an extensive war, while Nora had gone to law school and worked as an attorney. I feel like their reactions wouldn't be the same with anything involving their misfortunes so far and in the future.. This is nothing against a different sex, it's how I feel a civilian would react compared to someone who had seen war and death. Nora just happens to be a civilian.

As I mentioned in chapter 1. This story is almost an Alternate Universe and not just a retelling of quest to quest, then pick a side to get to an ending. Nah, I've got more ambition than that because there's a couple ideas of what to do with my own planned main quest ending and after. And there as there are user mods featured in this story, I will mention them in an A/N at the end of each chapter to avoid spoilers. Some of the creators may have an easter egg appearance in the story. I'll be honest, I don't do skimpy outfits or anything similar much unless it's actually relevant to the story (Such as prostitutes or something like that) In game, I may use CBBE, but don't really customize or interact with it, but some mods require it. It's an acquired taste I guess. Kudos to that mod author for having the top nexus fallout mod though.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I put some effort into figuring things out. If you find any typos, PM me and let me know. I'll fix them as soon as I am able to. If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review and your thoughts. I'd love to see the predictions.

Story Word count: 7,800's

Chapter 2: Homefront

As the Vault 111 elevator platform rose, I had to shield my eyes from intense rays of sunlight, due to Cryostasis and being underground for a long time. Nora did the same, using her entire arm sleeve of her jumpsuit. The scene all around us looked as if we had stepped into a horror-story, but there was a certain allure to it. My gaze combed over what was left of the world. Sanctuary Hills was barely standing. A couple buildings were destroyed beyond any hope of repair while others remained strong but broken in some parts. The mountainous slopes were dead as I turned to look inland. The shades of natural life were almost devoid of color and in various states of barely alive, rot, or irradiated. It looked like the wasteland was trying to regrow though, as there were a few trees that were finally coming back. It looked like the city of Boston in the distance was still standing through morning hazy air; at least the skyscrapers were. I could see the water tower in the distance, the power line structures that moved towards the city, and disappear behind irradiated trees and hills. We stood there in a mixture of shock, awe, and discouragement staring at the horror and beauty of the once lively world that was now changed. We had to get back down to our home. I turned to look at the construction site around Vault 111. There were cranes, various metal boxes, destroyed Corvega's and Vault-Tec vans. It looked like the Corvega had crashed through the service entrance in the west. An observation building was to the east, right near the Vault's elevator, where we stood. Crows were perched on top of it, cawing. I was surprised that the noise from the Vault elevator hadn't scared them off. It was strange. A couple of them had blood red eyes. I didn't pay much more attention to them. Nora seemed too stunned by the changes to move. She stared out there for what seemed like forever. I let her do her thing, while I looked around for supplies.

The controls to the door of Vault 111 were in the observation building nearby, also sporting a first aid box and a crate. There was a Stimpak and a purified bottle of water. The crate had a Molotov Cocktail inside, which was strange. Why would a Molotov Cocktail be in a crate like this? At least it was bottled up correctly. I placed it in my small bag. I made sure that the controls still needed a Pipboy and my password I had set before I glanced in Nora's direction. She hadn't left her spot yet, still staring at the Wastes. I continued my search. There was so much scrap and junk everywhere. There was even a Security Drone that was destroyed. It was a quad rotor drone, with a slightly long body and a mounted minigun on the bottom of it. It was painted blue, white, and gold hosting a Vault-Tec logo and service number. Those were designed by a man whose alias in the military was known as Icestorm. I remember because I was asked to look at the schematics at one point to determine if it was a viable military robot. It was a joint effort between CIT and the United States Military. There was another robot he came up with as well, but it was like a kamikaze drone, known as the Seeker Mine. I remembered there were various models of the security drone such as the Luna, Hawk, and Hornet. There were other models in the works, but those were the three that I had personally witnessed. I remembered that Vault-Tec was supposed to have a few commissioned, but I never saw any. There were other places that commissioned them as well. I pushed those thoughts out of my head and continued looking around.

Another building, probably the construction site administration office, was closer to the gate. The amount of junk inside was astounding. There were desk fans, paper, light bulbs, pencils, scrap, and a stash of bottle caps? No weapons though. I did however find more ammo for my N99 10mm handgun.

I took out a duffle bag and unzipped it. From behind, there was a tone of defeat. "The world has changed."

"Yeah," I spoke solemnly, knowing it was my wife as I put the ammo in my duffle bag.

"Sorry." She said, "It was a lot to take in."

"I understand hun," I replied turning around, "You ready to go see our neighborhood?"

"No," Nora said shaking her head, "but we have to, so let's go."

We finally left the Vault 111 site making my way back down the hill. While exiting the gate we previously rushed through, I noted countless skeletons that were grouped around the gate. My mind flashed back to when the skeletons were people trying to seek refuge, only to be gunned down by a U.S soldier. I pushed it out of my mind, us continuing down the hill.

Eventually, we would make it across the footbridge and come up between the two backyards of the Whitfield residence, and the Able residence. It wasn't until we found ourselves in the middle of the street of Sanctuary Hills, did we realize how much had changed thanks to the bombs. What once was a peaceful and lively neighborhood full of people was now dead, destroyed, and almost unrecognizable. If a nuke hadn't hit somewhere on the other side of Boston, I could swear a tornado had hit. Several houses were completely demolished including the Baker's, Donoghue's, and from what I could tell from where I was at, the Callahan's. Others were still standing, just having years of neglect to deal with like my own home, the Able's, the Whitfield's, Rosa's home, and Hawthorne's home. Trees fell, post-war weeds and bushes were reclaiming the cracked asphalt road, trees had fallen, mailboxes barely standing, and the street was lined with old, rusted vehicles. The only tree still standing that looked as if it was the cold season was a large oak tree which was the landmark of the Cul-De-Sac. Everything was so quiet, with the muffled sounds of an occasional buzzing sound. Everywhere I looked, I saw what had been, and what could've been before and if the bombs didn't fall.

We stood there, at the curve of the street in silence, taking it all in. Nora took my hand, searching for comfort. We walked together, toward our home, or what was left of my home. It was still standing though the windows were shattered, parts of the roof and wall were missing. But what was strange was that the bushes had been freshly trimmed in a straight line, not blocking the view out the bedroom windows. Bushes didn't grow like that.

"Who would manage our landscaping like that?" I asked confused.

Then we saw something. Out of the house came a humming Mr. Handy model Robot.

"Codsworth?" Nora asked.

"As I live and breathe!" The Mister Handy said, "Oh…. it's…. it's really you!" His robotic eyes "dilated," as his lens widened. It was actually quite endearing. It was then I realized that if this bucket of bolts could survive, then others could have as well.

"You're still here?" Nora spoke, "So…. other people could be alive too…" His response was not what I was expecting. Nora seemed to think so to, judging by her expression.

"Well of course I'm still here," He said rather proudly, "surely you don't think a little radiation could deter the pride of General Atomics International? Hah. But you seem the worse for wear. Best not let your husband see you in this state." He looked at me. "Oh! Hello mister Nate!"

"Hello Codsworth," I replied softly.

"Codsworth," Nora said urgently, "Have you seen our son, or anyone with him? Someone took him."

Codsworth seemed undeterred and completely off at the moment. "Madam…." He said spoke, "these things you're saying...these, these terrible things you are saying..." Something was definitely off about him. "And your tone? I…I believe you need a distraction. Yes! A distraction to calm this dire mood. It's been ages since we've had a proper family activity. Checkers. Or perhaps charades. Shaun does so love that game. Is the lad…. not…. with you….?

"Shaun's…." Nora started with difficulty. For me, five years in the military and the thought of never seeing my son would leave me almost unable to function. "...been kidnapped. But we're going to find him. We're going to get our son back."

Codsworth's response was again off. "It's worse than I thought," He said to me, "Hmm hmm. You're suffering from hunger-induced paranoia. Not eating properly for 200 years will do that, I'm afraid."

My mouth literally fell open. Did we hear that right? "No…." I said in disbelief, "No…. that's not possible. We weren't out for that long. Not 200 years…."

"Oh god," I heard Nora's voice break.

"Uh a bit over 210 actually, sir," Codsworth corrected himself, "Give or take a little for the Earth's rotation and some minor dings to the ol' chronometer, ha ha ha. That means that you're uh…..two centuries late for dinner, ha ha ha. Perhaps I could whip you up a snack? You must be famished." Food sounded great right now and that's all I registered for that moment. Nora put her hand to her mouth, clearly on the verge of a panic attack.

"Starving," I replied trying to think of a way to calm her, "Yeah…. Nora and I need a minute to think."

"Then I'll be right back," Codsworth replied before heading back inside.

"Nora…" I said reassuring her, "hun. I know…. it's a lot." She didn't have the training I did to compartmentalize emotions on the fly. It was a soldier's training that kept him or her from succumbing to emotional distress.

She took a deep breath and silently nodded and started to walk in behind Codsworth, as he hummed carefree. I looked at the mess our house was now in. Leaves had blown in, the furniture in horrible condition, the refrigerator, stove, oven, and dishwasher were pretty much done. The bed where Nora and I once slept was completely destroyed. Nora didn't go in there though, not yet. She went straight into into Shaun's old room and saw that the only two things that survived the past 200 years, were his crib and his baby changing table. The last time we were here, I was playing with him, spinning his favorite thing in the entire house. I could see tears down my wife's face. My heart cracked.

"We'll find you baby." She spoke. My heart shattered.

"Here you are sir," Codsworth said floating into the room completely carefree and handing me a box of sugar bombs, "I'm afraid I don't have any milk on hand seeing as the grocery store over in Concord went out of business when the bombs fell."

"Thanks Codsworth," I said solemnly opening up the box of sugar bombs and took a few out.

"You're Welcome, Sir!" He replied happily, "I've been thinking…. if something was amiss...Shaun may simply be hiding…. from…. the Red Menace." I gave him a look of confusion.

"Theh Rehd Memace?" I asked with tasty sugar bombs in my mouth. I didn't care about etiquette or manners; I was trying to fill a hole in my stomach.

"Why the Communists of course!" Codsworth said in indignantly, "The Russian's AND the Chinese!"

I looked at him dropping the now empty box of sugar bombs. The bombs had fallen. No government could have survived the outcome, not even the communist. "Codsworth buddy," I said, "I don't think the Reds are going to be a problem anymore."

It was like I wasn't speaking. "I have an idea!" He replied, "Let's search the neighborhood together. After all, Shaun is…. Shaun is my family too!" This robot's mood had been everywhere today. He himself stated that 210 years passed already, but he acted like not a day went by when the bombs fell. Furthermore, he didn't answer any questions or responded on topic, like he was avoiding them. That was the last straw. something was up with our beloved robot.

"Codsworth…." I spoke firmly, "Are you sure you're holding up okay?"

He didn't answer immediately. I didn't think it was possible for a robot to have a mental breakdown. Until now. "I…. I…..." He started imitating a human who had just gone emotional and on the verge of tears, "Oh sir, it's just been horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, no one to serve!?" The robot had become lonely and had almost drove himself crazy. Nora by now had turned around and looked tearfully at the distressed robot. "I've spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from vinyl wood. Nothing! And don't even get me started about the futility of dusting collapsed house. And the car! The car! How do you polish rust!?" He was stuck on entirely the fact that things just continued on as normal. He had followed his subroutines and programming being an ever-loyal robot and it had driven him almost crazy. I had to calm him before he short circuited himself.

"Codsworth," I said kind of feeling sorry for the robot, "Stay with me pal. Focus. What do you know about what happened?"

"I'm afraid I don't know anything sir," He said emotionally, "The bombs came, and all of you left in such a hurry, I thought for certain you and your family were…. dead. I did find these photos. He pulled it out of a storage compartment in his chassis before giving it to me."

"Thank you Codsworth," I spoke looking at them.

He sniffed. "You're welcome," he said voice cracking.

"Give us a moment," Nora said sighing, "Go and….do something else for a moment."

"Yes ma'am," Codsworth said, "Enough feeling sorry for myself. You have had a traumatic experience yourselves. I will leave you two be for a moment."

I nodded as we stared at the photos. There were five of them. The first one was of the 108th that Roger had sent me. The second one was of Shaun. The third was me and Nora. The fourth one was of us and Shaun. The fifth one, was with all three of us and Codsworth in front of our home when we bought it.

I watched Nora completely break down. A single tear shed, which turned into many. I held her close. The emotional pain coursed through me, and her I'd imagine, like sandpaper through our veins. I wanted to hold my son along with her, to never let them go again. I wanted to live a normal life with them. I wanted to see Nora holding my boy, with all her liveliness she had and joy in life itself. I wanted to see her lying there next to me in bed after I woke up one morning and us going to get Shaun from school some day in the future. I wanted to see that smile, hear that laugh, and see her holding Shaun or another newborn child of ours. And Shaun…. I wanted to hold that little boy so close to me, like I did that day the bombs fell, calming him, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to be there to teach him so many things that my father and grandfather taught me. I would've taught him how to play baseball, hunting, fishing, a little bit of things on the agricultural side which his mom would probably start him off, survival skills, driving a car, and shooting his first gun. I would've been proud to see him growing up, attending D.B Technical High School, watching him grow into a man and find his own Soulmate and eventually marrying her. All these things that I wanted, all these things that could be only classified as The American Dream, had been ripped away from me. Everything Nora and I were forced to leave behind, had been wiped from the world or stolen from us.

It took me several moments to pull myself together. I had just lost everything. But with all this grief, this…. anger, something was born. Raw determination and a subtle lust for revenge. I let Nora go and walked back into the kitchen where Codsworth was waiting. She wiped tears from her face following me. I guess the expression on my face went from sorrow to anger.

"Are you alright sir?"

"Yeah," I lied.

"Hmm," Codsworth said, "I know better than that, tell you what. How about we search for young Shaun in the neighborhood? Surely, he and his kidnapper would be in a nearby area? My motion sensors are picking up movement in Sanctuary Hills. "

I knew better than to have that kind of hope. But I went with it anyways. "I doubt it," I said, "But what the hell. Let's give it a shot."

"Proud to serve Mr. Nathan," Codsworth said happily, "Shall we go?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Lead the way. Coming hun?"

"Of course," she said nodding.

We followed the overly excited robot next door closer to the Cul-De-Sac. It was Jahani's house, a fellow veteran's house. We walked over to the house only to be attacked a large, mutated fly that flew through the window at a fast speed. I pulled out my pistol and fired a round, missing. I fired once more only having to duck from a projectile of…. something that seemed to come from the oversized bug. The bug was cut down by Codsworth's skill saw. Then he torched the hell out of another oversized fly that came through the collapsed door.

"Might want to be careful sir," Codsworth spoke to me, "Bloatflies aren't the most dangerous thing out here. They're fast and nimble. They throw larvae at you and that can blind even the most resilient man today."

"Bloatflies?" I asked.

"They are disgusting," Nora added.

"Yes," Codsworth said, "I heard some of the locals call them that. And they call giant cockroaches, something stupid…. now what was it….? Oh yes, Radroaches."

"Those are some strange names," Nora replied to him as I searched the house. The only thing I saw was a safe in the master bedroom. I didn't even think about touching the thing because I didn't have anything to pick the locks with for one, and two it would be weird to go around my neighbor's former homes looting it…. for now, at least. There was an insane amount of junk.

"Yes well," Codsworth said, "most humans are strange themselves these days. My sensors aren't picking up anything else. Nothing here but a few flies…...hmm not good at all. Wait…. I'm picking up something else….in the Gallagher residence. Follow me!" With that, the hyped-up robot floated out the door with alarming speed. I turned to follow him to the Cul-De-Sac. Immediately, we were swarmed by more of those flies. I took aim, trying to hit one of those flittering little things. My aim was off, severely. I used to be a crack shot with weaponry. Now, I'm just rusty. Deciding not to waste any more ammo, I pulled out my baton and started swinging at the Bloatfly. Codsworth literally picked one out the air with his nimble robotic finger and slammed it into the ground before cutting it up with his skill saw. I dodged as another threw more of its larvae at me. I smacked it to the ground and then squished it under my boot. I walked inside the Gallagher residence seeing that someone had attempted to make a makeshift barrier to bunker down behind in the kitchen/living room.

"Your son isn't here either," Codsworth spoke with extreme disappointment, "He's…. he's really gone, isn't he?"

"Thanks for trying Codsworth," I spoke, "But Shaun's still out there somewhere. Nora and I need to find him."

"Hmm," Codsworth said changing his tone, "What about Concord sir? Plenty of people there. And last I checked, they only pummeled me with sticks a few times before I had to run back home."

"There are still people alive in Concord?" Nora asked.

"Yes," Codsworth said, "Although they're a bit rough. You remember the way? Just across the southern footbridge out of the neighborhood and past the Red Rocket Station?"

"Of course," Nora replied, "Concord's where we went grocery shopping." Concord was nearly a mile out from Sanctuary Hills, with the Red Rocket station at the top of the hill from it. I made the trip almost daily when I had an oddball job to go do.

"Very well then," Codsworth said, "Will you be leaving immediately?"

I was about to say yes when I came across the realization of something. If we left now, without making sure we were prepared, then we'd be as useless as we were when we fought with those Bloatflies. We would probably die if we went out there ill equipped and rusty; and Shaun would be lost forever. I couldn't have that. I was smarter than that. My nearly lost and confused civilian and emotional father-like state had almost gotten me and my wife killed. I had to return to what I was during the Sino-American War. A calculating soldier. But I couldn't return to it like I used to be. I couldn't return to that time where I was a cold-blooded tactical thinking, inventive genius Green Beret who killed without remorse. If I was to return to that persona, the morals I had set for myself upon returning to civilian life with Nora, would be lost. I had to adjust. I had to adapt. I had done a pretty shitty job of it so far. The "The world's changed and son is lost" excuse was not flying anymore. I had to adapt. I had to. I couldn't let my emotions run me. I wasn't saying to just forget about Shaun like he was nothing. I was saying, remember them and move forward so I could function effectively to actually find Shaun. That raw determination and resolve was the final straw I needed to flip the switch. I would hold onto my morals, while moving on like the soldier I was trained to be. The problem was Nora. She wasn't used to that kind of thinking. She had learned a few things involving survival, but she hadn't had the mental and physical training of a soldier. Her not participating in the bug extermination was kind of expected. But what would happen if we ended up in a firefight? Would she freeze up? Would she panic? It'd get her killed. I wouldn't allow that.

"No," I spoke firmly.

"No?" Nora asked confused.

"No?" Codsworth mirrored, though with scrutiny, "What about your son?"

"We'll find him," I spoke, "But last time I tried, which was with you by the way, I almost got myself and my wife killed. We've got to prepare ourselves first. My time as a civilian has made me soft. My time in Cryo has seemingly affected my ability physically and mentally as a soldier. I have to change that."

"So, what are you going to do?" Codsworth said.

"We're going to plan and prepare," I spoke, "And we'll probably need your help. Will you?"

"AB-solutely," Codsworth replied, "Where shall we begin?"

"First off," I said, "Have you seen any hostile activity around here while I was in the Vault?"

"No sir," Codsworth replied, "Other than the occasional pest like the Bloatfly or a dog passing through no. Sanctuary Hills remains untouched from outside contact for the past 200 years. There was one fellow in a yellow trench coat irradiated to….hell but he left a long time ago for some reason. I haven't seen him since. There were a few people who tried to settle down here fifty years ago, but they just disappeared one morning, leaving behind all sorts of things. I never let them in your house though. I think someone snuck in at one point." I remembered something. Above all else, I was a prepper, a survivalist. There were several other people who were as well. I had left some survival supplies in the basement we had added to our home.

"Did anyone find the basement?" I asked him.

"No sir," Codsworth said, "It has remained tightly locked since you two left."

Good," I spoke, "It's time for us to prepare. It looks like this is going to be our Homefront from now on. Our house is in a pretty strategic location, so that's where I guess we'll sleep. Codsworth, I want you to start going through the neighborhood and piling everything unusable out front. It's all going for scrap."

"Yes sir," Codsworth said, "Might I ask what you and the missus will be doing sir?"

"We'll be scavenging for anything else useful," I replied, "Weapons, food, Chems, gear, all the good stuff. If you find anything that is remotely useful, I want to see it. Put it in our carport. I don't care if there's a tiny screw out of a trashed-up toy. We need it. Okay? Clothes, everything. Anything bigger pile it in the front yard."

"I may have to move the car sir," Codsworth spoke.

"It's useless," I replied looking at the old thing, "Do what you have to."

"Yes sir," Codsworth said.

"Hun," I replied, "I need your help. Are you okay to do so?"

"Of course," She said, "I-I know I froze up with those flies…. but I'll try not to do so again."

"Please don't," I replied to her as we walked inside to our kitchen, "I know it's going to be tough, but we have to be prepared for anything. If radiation changed the wildlife, then there's no telling what else is out there. I can't have you frozen in fear if we get in a firefight or have to fight something with teeth. If something happens to me, I don't want you hurt. I've had training to deal with hostiles and unforeseen problems when shit hits the fan. I can do my best, but if I lose you…. it'll kill me."

"I'm sorry," she said tears in her eyes.

"It's okay hun," I said hugging her, "We'll get through this, but I need you to help me do it. I can't protect you from everything. This isn't the world we left. You didn't need protecting too much then. You always had the brains to the things I didn't. I've seen you do some amazing things. But this new world…. I don't even know if I'll survive it, but I'll die trying."

"I know," She said, "I've learned some things, but I've never actually had to pull the trigger on someone or something. I don't know what it's like to take a life. I don't know all the survival skills you do. I know some, just not as much."

"You'll probably have to learn soon," I replied, "And I'll be happy to teach you." I heard Codsworth's flamer go off.

"What's he torching?" Nora asked.

"Codsworth?" I called looking back at the Cul-de-sac.

"Nothing to worry about sir!" He replied, "Just a Radroach!"

"Okay!" I yelled back then spoke to Nora, "Okay hun. You ready?"

"Yeah."

We went around the neighborhood armed with a single gun and baton. We left all our other stuff on the countertop in our home. Codsworth was busy going around the general area looking for things to scrap. Nora and I went next door to the Washington's old home and looked around for anything useful. That's when I saw a bobby pin. I was a good infiltrator and one of the things I learned, was picking locks. So I did so to the safe. I took me a moment, but I finally got the safe open. Inside was some prewar money, a box of shotgun shells, a crude improvised weapon used even before the bombs fell called a pipe pistol, some .38 ammo, and Psycho syringes. How Axel ever got ahold of Psycho, I'll never know. They were used in Anchorage for helping soldiers lesson the impact of attrition. Nora claimed a couple bottles of nuka-cola and some rations. With Jahani's house plucked through involving supplies, we put all the looted items in our home before going over to the other formally bloatfly infested home. In all that junk, Nora had found another safe, though this one was a floor safe. I let Nora try to open it. It took her a couple tries, but she managed it. She found more .38 ammo, another pipe pistol, some prewar money and a gold pocket watch. There were several Stimpaks and bobby pins in the mirror cabinet in the bathroom. We returned those supplies to our home before searching the final house on the Cul De Sac. I remembered that this was the home of a local fellow soldier named Axel. I sighed as I walked in and tore his home apart for anything valuable. Nora found ammo for our N99 pistols as well as a duffle bag that we fully planned on using. While Nora combed through the house, I searched around the back of his home, remembering that he had a root cellar before the war. This was where he had once stayed. I picked it clean, getting more ammo, medical supplies, and even gold bars.

When we returned to my home, Codsworth had dragged the old car into the middle of the street and had an assortment of gear on the carport floor. Nora and I dropped off what we had gathered, then continued on down the neighborhood. Nora went next door to my home which was the Whitfield residence to find nothing but a single Stimpak and salvageable items while I went to the next home which was the Able residence. I found a first aid box in there. The next house we visited was right next door and use to belong to a seemingly okay guy named Mr. Hawthorne. That was until we found out what he did for a living. After spending a couple minutes hacking his terminal, I found out that Mr. Hawthorne was in the business of making drugs and selling them, to neighbors no less. DiPietro, Mr Baker, Rosa, Jahani, Mr. Russell? What? They got drugs illegally? Well that pretty much changed my outlook on them.

"That's very telling," Nora said on the subject, "Nate…. look."

"What?" I asked as she pointed at the safe near the terminal, "Whoa." Hawthorne had rigged the safe with a makeshift bomb trap. I worked to disarm it, saving most of the components for later use. The safe was full of chems and prewar money. He even had a Chemistry station in his backyard. It had all the components needed to make anything we wanted for chemicals, medical products, drugs (something it was already used for), or cutting fluid. By the time we had made it to Russell's old residence, it was around five in the afternoon. There was some food, but that was it. Rosa's residence, which was across the street from our home, probably had everything I could ever want. She kept an assortment of equipment and tools because her and her son was trying to restore a Corvega before the bombs fell. She was a grease monkey on all ends, being a highly skilled mechanic back in the day.

We returned to our house looking at all the gear we had collected. I had asked Nore to make sure to keep a checklist of everything we had, which she did so diligently as it was something she enjoyed doing. Organization was more her thing. Codsworth had piled a great number of appliances and junk on the carport floor. These ranged from tin cans, aluminum cans, light fixtures, old radios, kitchen appliances, etc. Before it got too dark, I made sure to move the couch in front of the front door so it couldn't be opened. That way there was only one way out of the house that someone would most likely use if they tried to come at us. Codsworth floated in through the side door.

"Are you okay?"

"Just making sure there's one way in Cods," I spoke, "At least for the night. How much scrap have you gathered?"

"A lot sir," Codsworth said, "Shall I name off the materials."

"No," I replied, "We'll probably go over that in the morning. I think we're going to get some food in us and call it a night."

"What about the basement?" He asked, "Have you checked to see if your supplies are still in there?"

"Not yet," I replied, "I probably should have. But it looks like no one has messed with the lock. So, I'm assuming everything is still down there."

"Very well sir," Codsworth said, "I shall stand guard then." Nora and I ate some preserved yum yum deviled eggs over a gas lantern.

"So much for our first day out here," Nora muttered.

"We got a lot accomplished dear," I said, "Picking through all this stuff was going to have to happen eventually. We need to be diligent and prepared."

"I know," She said, "But didn't we stock up on things before the bombs fell? In the basement?"

"Yeah," I replied, "And it'll help us. But we have to learn how to do without first. Tomorrow we'll take a peak and access the resources we have."

We fell asleep on the couch, cuddled up. It wasn't the most comfortable situation, but it was better than the ground.

I was walking through the halls of D.B Technical High School beginning my year as a Senior. It was a crowded high school from what I was used to. I came from a farm from the state of New York, being a descendent of a Southern farmer. My father was in the military like I was, and he was reassigned to be stationed in Boston. My family and I were new here. But I didn't let that deter me from being myself. I was raised by a military mother and father, so yeah, I was an army brat. It was seemingly a good day, until I caught a glimpse of that Blonde Hair and blue-eyed girl. Then it became a better day.

I woke up to the sound of my Pipboy's alarm clock. I was expecting to roll over and see Nora in our comfortable bed. But no. She was in my arms, little spooned, and hair in my mouth. Beyond her was the destroyed kitchen of our home with Codsworth watching over the house, just outside the door. I turned off the alarm clock.

"You know," Nora said, "I regret sending you to sleep on the couch all those times you made me mad."

"Sucks, doesn't it?" I replied jokingly, "I'm stiff as a board."

"That isn't the only thing stiff as a board," She replied suggestively.

"Meh," I said shrugging, "Morning wood feels great."

"For you maybe."

"Can you fix it for me?" I asked smirking.

"Sex in a dilapidated house?" She asked rolling her eyes, "What are we, teenagers again?"

"We can pretend…."

"Good point," She said, "Codsworth?"

"Yes mum?" He replied.

"Why don't you go and patrol the neighborhood….?"

"Right away!" He said leaving us. With him gone, we got busy.

Half an hour later, Nora, Codsworth, and I began our work. I opened the closet in our bedroom and removed the rug inside. There was a hatch that had a staircase leading down into it. It was a prepper's stash paradise. At the base of the stairs, was a ceiling mounted automated turret. Below it on the wall were components that were meant for its repairs on a shelf as well as belts of 10 mm ammo. Shelves were all stocked to the brim and organized by needs or types of equipment/gear. The standing shelves were metal, for storage with 5 shelves each, and stacked in two rows similar to as if they were placed in a market. There were three foldable cots along the side wall, near the base of the staircase. In a closet, there were blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows as well as toiletries. A desk was next to the closet, with various utensils and office supplies upon it or on the wall of shelves near that station. A filing cabinet was next to it, tucked as snug as it could get. Atop the desk was a ham radio, two terminals, and other office stuff. My dog tags were laying there as well. On the shelves above it, were more office supplies and various books. The books contained knowledge on survival, robotics, education, history, agriculture, botany, and zoology. Next to the filing cabinet on the wall was a large map of Boston and its surrounding cities and countryside. There were smaller versions of the said map laying atop the filing cabinet.

Then came the weapon racks on the next wall. There were three hunting rifles, three combat rifles, and six 10mm pistols on the wall. On a table below the weapons racks were six combat knives and three rippers. On the shelves next to them were everything else each weapon would need. There were three standing shelfs, all meant for one type of weapon, next to the gun racks, placed along the wall. The top shelf of each one would have nothing but magazines, already loaded and ready to insert into the cartilage. There were ten mags for each weapon, the hunting rifles having upgraded mags that held 10 rounds. The second to the top shelf had many weapons attachments for each gun. The next shelf had holsters or slings for each weapon. The final two shelves were filled with boxes of ammo, whether it'd be .308 rounds, 10mm rounds, or .45 rounds. Further right of the shelves, as a large rack full of 5-gallon water jugs, with a water fountain near it.

The two rows of shelves were stocked with supplies and gear. The first standing shelf had three sets of sturdy-grade combat armor, painted green. The top shelf housed the helmets and six gasmasks. A stack of boxed air filters for them were on the side of the shelf. Men and women's army fatigues were right below them, as well as combat boots. The next standing shelf had clothing for all three of us, just casual wear. The next shelve was backpacks and utility belts as well as bandoliers. There were a few holsters and pouches as well, which would be perfect for things like rations or our batons.

The next two shelves were nothing but different supplies such as several canteens with pouches, duct tape, Wonderglue, Abraxo cleaner, three rolls of 1000-foot of paracord, lighters, lighter fluid, fire-starting kits, magnifying glasses, reflectors, tarps, rope, folding shovels, binoculars, zip ties, some tools, oil canisters, gas lanterns, etc.

There were two more shelves dedicated to medical supplies such as bandages, bags, patches, medical gauze, sewing thread, antiseptics, scissors, eye wash solution, body powder, stimpaks, radaway, rad-x, med-x, mentats, addictol, buffout, and various different antibiotics. There were also crutches, splints, and slings for broken bones.

Another set of shelves had all the cutlery and kitchen supplies one could want. It also had various hotplates, pots and pans. Afterwards, there were two shelves full of purified bottled water cases. There was a shelf of Nuka-cola, with a case of the Quantum and Cherry variants on the last shelf. At the end of this row of shelves was a foldable table with three chairs and a highchair.

The row of shelves, which was along the staircase, was full of rations such as two upper shelves of Salisbury steak, with others underneath several buckets of rice, canned soup, broth, Pork n' Beans, Instamash, Sugar Bombs, and Yum Yum Deviled eggs. The rest of the shelves contained MRE's, protein bars, and water purification tablets. Tucked in the corner between the rationing shelves and rack of 5-gallon jugs of water was a door to the bathroom.

"I almost forgot how much we had stored," I uttered. The automated turret sputtered pointing its 10mm barrel at me. "Voice command: Deactivate." It powered down.

"When did you buy cots?" Nora asked kind of annoyed.

"A week before the bombs fell," I replied.

"And we were sleeping up top…. why?"

"I don't know," I replied sheepishly.

"You're not getting any for a week." She deadpanned suggestively.

"Aw come on!" I replied comically.

With us making sure we had our stash secured, we walked over to Rosa's home and looked at all the equipment and tools she had. She had a smelter for melting down metal, a forge for reshaping it, and a prewar wood fabricator. She also had a lot of tools and even a car lift that could be reconfigured for holding up a Power Armor frame. I'd probably do that if we could find some. The U.S military wasn't still around, was it? They wouldn't give a rat's ass. I spent the better part of the day moving all the fabrication equipment to the Washington's garage, which the only thing separating our houses was the thick concrete wall overgrown with hedges. There was a gap between the hedges that allowed easy access to her carport. The best part was, there was no side door to her house. Codsworth and I moved the rusted car out the way beforehand, so installing the equipment was easy. This pretty much got Nora and I out of the Stone Age. we could now modify my weapons and build defenses. We just had to create several molds out of clay and what not.

Building our home base wasn't too hard, especially with Codsworth, even if his programming wasn't suited for construction. He was entirely helpful as he doubled the process of constructing a few wall panels and fences made of junk. Nora and I installed the junk fences in the gaps between the backyards of my house and the Washington's old home. Then we made sure the gaps between the car ports were fenced in and a door frame was installed on both garages. Most people would wonder, why I'd want to fence in such a big place. I was an excellent strategist and I planned ahead a lot. I also liked to be prepared. The second day, I used one of our terminals to create a basic program for one machine gun turret. Codsworth aided us in every step of their creation. One was put on the front top side of Washington's garage and the other looking over the backyard of our house. I think Nora said something about, how I could make automated turrets out of junk being akin to a technopath or something. She said this as I was showing her how to construct one from its basic programming, to turning it on fully functional. I replied with, "now you have the same skill."

Day three was all about us getting some lighting. We had just enough copper to make two DIY medium sized generators that were built at the back corner of Washington's backyard. I built one, alongside Nora and showed her how to do so. I strung wire all the way to Washington's car port over our hedges that divided the two houses, and to my garage. I had just enough for two lights. One under each carport. After our third day of improvising land management, I finally felt that my home was safe enough and could serve our needs. It basically became a workshop. With adequate power now, I decided to modify one of my guns with the available materials I had, while having Nora watch so she could learn too. I replaced the standard grip with a leather grip for more comfort and then readjusting and completely modifying the standard receiver into an upgraded one. These little adjustments aided with helping my aim, and the velocity of the bullet once it leaves the chamber. After I did so, Nora took a page out of my book, trying to figure it out on her own. I didn't even help her. She just watched me do it and picked it up. I was proud of her.

We decided to get a little target practice in testing out the new modifications, by setting up paper targets across the stream behind the Able residence. We set up a table full of our guns. We had plenty of ammo, but I wanted to make sure we weren't wasting any. I had Codsworth bring us a few buckets and I dragged a rug out from the Able residence to sit on.

"What's this for?" My wife asked me.

"For the shells," I replied, "We can reload them later to save on ammunition. The carpet is to see the shells better and to potentially keep dirt out of them. The three different buckets are for the different ammo.

"Oh," She replied, "Smart."

"Codsworth," I said, "Keep an eye out will ya? We're about to make a lot of noise. Noise attracts attention."

"Will do sir!" He said jovially, "I shall patrol the streets and watch your backs!"

I only used twenty 10mm bullets, deciding to be sparing with them. Once I was comfortable with not being so rusty, I let Nora use an entire box of 100 10mm bullets. We had plenty in reserve. She needed more practice. We both practiced with our hunting rifles. Nora was getting the hang of it again. We each used only thirty rounds. She outshot me this time. Her accuracy was amazing. The combat rifles were something else. I was definitely better with those though. She was decent. We both went through another fifty rounds. Ammo went fast, something we had to keep in mind. It was almost dusk when we finally finished cleaning up the shells and sorting them. Our accuracy was as good as it was going to get. The real test would be moving targets.

We decided to turn in for the night, eating the last bit of food that was found topside, except for some Mutfruit. If it hadn't been for Codsworth telling us, we wouldn't have realized that the plants behind Axel Jahani's house were the editable Mutfruit. Mutfruit tasted like a cross between a plum and peach. They were really good. We saved the seeds to them, just in case we could replant them. Nora would probably be able to make them grow a lot better than I. She was much better at botanical stuff. Once we were done eating, we turned in for the night. Codsworth stayed vigilant, along with our two automated turrets. There was a certain kind of bliss knowing that the Homefront was secure, while we slept down below….

MOD's featured-

Combat Drone/Seeker Mine – by IcestormNG. If you're looking for either of them, just go to the IcestormNG . There's a lot of cool looking mods created by him. I probably won't use the clothing mods(high heels) but they look really well done.

Horizon – Since survival will eventually be a plot factor in this story, I figured I'd give this a shoutout. It's an extremely well put together overhaul and I enjoy it.

Immersive Gameplay – The original mod I used when I used to play console. It served as the inspiration to the basement full of gear. You need it to play IG. Everything about IG was amazing. The only thing I disliked was the inability to upgrade power armor durability (A,B,C,D, etc)

Immersive Scrapping – One thing I absolutely despised about vanilla fallout, despite great settlement building gameplay, was the scrapping. Immersive Scrapping is a step in the right direction. Like scrapping cars…..ten to twenty units of metal? Come on. There's all kinds of electronics, it's nuclear powered, has glass, etc.

…

Review responses (Review Q/A/Suggestions) –

Guest – I haven't decided if I'm going to add the Enclave or not for America Rising. The other points you made are definitely considered as I was thinking along the same lines.

Gamerbox – Thank you for catching those!

Chroniclerofchaos07 – I had the same idea for meet and greets. I don't know yet. That'd be awesome!