"Come back and see me at Cabot House in a week or so. All my research may not have been completely in vain. "
Too bad a week had passed in what felt more like the blink of an eye.
Jack wiped the fog from the bathroom mirror as he brushed his teeth, revealing his reflection underneath; damp, messy hair, yet to be brushed and styled, a half-buttoned shirt, one of his signature brown plaid ties draped over his shoulders, and in spite of himself, a pair of very tired eyes peering back at him from behind his browline glasses. He paused, sighed, and lowered his gaze before he turned away and opened the door to let the humid air out of the tiny room.
His allocated week had passed, and he was technically ready for the vault dweller to show up - the artifact weapon was completed and ready to be handed off to its new owner - but Jack found he wasn't really ready to put his usual facade back on. He reckoned he probably didn't need to - that their guest would understand, given the circumstances - but he'd always had it bad for keeping up appearances in spite of everything. Old habits died hard, and after four centuries of putting on fake smiles and keeping himself presentable, even on the days when he barely had the energy to drag himself out of bed, that morning was no exception.
A soft knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned back to find Edward looking back at him with a soft, if not somewhat melancholy, smile on his face; an expression suggesting that he could sense Jack's turmoil.
"Mornin'." He finally rasped, his tone a gentle one. "You're up early."
"Well, I told him I'd have something for him in a week , so…" Jack's face contorted into a similar expression. "- don't want to be in complete shambles if we end up having company. You know me ."
"Some things never change." The ghoul scoffed, leaning his weight against the door frame as he watched Jack for a minute, contemplating how to properly express his concerns to the man. "Listen, Jack…"
The scientist turned to offer his full attention, and Edward wasn't sure if seeing those familiar brown eyes so focused on him made it easier or more difficult to find his words he wanted to say, so he cast his gaze down.
"For as long as I've known you, you've always shouldered things by yourself, and kept that smile on your face the whole damned time ; kept a certain degree of professional and put-together about yourself, even through some of the worst shit , but…" Edward trailed off for a moment. "- you don't have to , Jack."
Jack's expression softened as the ghoul's words hit home in a peculiar way.
"All these years, I've watched you put on a happy face , and keep up appearances, but in all those years, I've also seen how much it absolutely exhausts you to do it ." Edward finally looked back up to meet Jack's gaze. "I've seen you spread yourself way too thin, way too many times. You just… you don't have to be the strong one. Especially not now. Not after everything that's happened."
He could count on one hand the number of times in his centuries of living that someone had given enough of a damn about him - cared enough to see the ill effects of both his internalized toxic positivity, and his workaholic tendencies in action - to actually say anything. One of whom had been Edward, another lifetime ago, before the bombs fell. The reminder stirred a comforting warmth within Jack, and a soft smile graced his face.
"I know you won't give up, because I know you , but if you wanna' stay in your PJs to do it, so be it. You don't have to put on some... bullshit facade and dress up to keep people happy anymore if you don't have it in you." Edward reminded him gently, receiving a small chuckle in response. "Go at your own pace, and don't be so willing to overextend yourself. Nobody who actually gives a shit about you's gonna' think any less of you for it. I promise."
"I suppose you're right." Jack conceded with a small sigh, that smile still on his face. Unfortunately it was a bit late for such a talk on that day. "But in this case, I'm already halfway there."
Edward smiled and gave a gentle roll of the eyes as he stepped closer, raising a hand and ruffling the man's damp locks affectionately, and getting precisely the indignant, dissatisfied little groan out of Jack that he so hoped he would. His hand shifted from Jack's hair, down the side of his face, and to the back of his neck as he pulled him closer, and fostered a gentle peck against his hair.
He couldn't help but to grin as Edward pulled away and smiled down at him.
"Sorry. Had to lighten the mood after all that." The ghoul broke away and stepped back towards the door. "I'll piss off and let you finish."
"Edward?"
He stopped in his tracks and turned back around to face Jack, who beamed a warm, genuine smile back at him.
" Thank you ."
He knew he should be starting his work on the serum. He knew there were more pressing matters at hand, and that he probably shouldn't be putting them on the back burner, but actual inspiration was a thing he'd so seldom felt in the last two centuries. Who could blame Jack for riding it out, even just for a day or two?
With two of Lorenzo's old journals splayed on his table, and his own opened to a fresh new page. He was jotting down his thoughts and theories like a man possessed, cross-referencing his father's notes, and doing his best to unearth memories from a long-gone era.
The cup of coffee Edward had brought him had long since grown cold, but it was of no consequence to Jack as he raised it to his lips for another sip. In taking the small recess, he could hear the sounds of a friendly, very much anticipated exchange downstairs in the foyer - a raspy, all-too-familiar voice, and another he was coming to know well enough.
It seemed the vault dweller - er, the General - no, Adrian; the least Jack could to was remember his name after everything he'd done for them - had returned for the weapon he'd been working on - Jack found himself more surprised that an entire week had lapsed between that day and the present than he was that the man had shown back up at their house.
"You were in rough shape last I saw you. How ya healin' up?" The man asked, voice growing closer in proximity.
"A lot better now, thanks. Jack patched me up after we got home, and he's kept me on light duty all damn week." The ghoul chuckled, starting to ascend the stairs with their guest.
"Can't imagine that's gone over well." the man offered a hearty chuckle as they reached the landing. "And what about Emogene? She ever make it home?"
"Yeah, she met us on our way back to Parsons to bring Lorenzo home for a sendoff." Edward informed. "She's been a big help, actually."
They came into view out of Jack's peripheral, and he raised his head from his books to meet them.
For a moment, he beheld their guest as he waited for the man's chat with Edward to come to a close.
Damn near the only thing that was intimidating about him was his height - standing even taller than his bodyguard; Jack estimated him to be around 6'3" or 6'4". For all intents and purposes, he could describe the man as a gentle giant - with an oblong, angular face, a lean build, a mess of shaggy brown hair, a scruffy goatee and jawline, and kindly green eyes that hid behind a pair of spectacles not unlike his own. His demeanor was warm and unassuming, and he was soft spoken, but beneath all that, he was a very capable, resourceful man with a quiet determination to him. And in spite of the understated sadness and fatigue that came with it all, he hadn't let the wasteland ruin him like so many others had.
Jack found he was actually one of the more pleasant folks that Edward had managed to hire in recent years.
"Adrian, hello!" The scientist greeted, smiling warmly up at them from his seat.
"Long time no see." He smiled back warmly. "You holdin' up okay?"
"As well as can be expected, I suppose." Jack said, taken slightly aback by the question. He certainly wasn't used to their hires asking about his well being, and after his conversation with Edward that same morning, he was quick to change the topic. "I… do appreciate your asking, though. But I doubt pleasantries are the only thing that brought you here today."
"I don't mind the pleasantries, but I'll bite ." Adrian smiled, not surprised in the slightest by Jack's tactful dodge. "What've ya got for me?"
"I figured out how to access the artifact's telekinesis effect. I've hooked it up to this old gamma gun. There's no way to control it without direct neural input - for better or worse, all of that was destroyed when my father died." Jack explained. "But you still have a rather powerful directed force. Here, see what you think."
He rose to his feet and lifted the weapon from the corner of his lab table, taking it carefully into both hands and extending it to the man.
"How does it work?" Adrian asked, taking it into his hands and examining the thing. It appeared that Jack had somehow rigged the familiar scarab-shaped accent that had decorated the crown onto the dish of the gamma gun. He was intrigued as he studied the scientist's intricate wiring, and he traced his thin fingers along the jewel's gold accents.
"It uses standard gamma rounds for power - the artifact's internal power supply was destroyed. Otherwise... point and shoot. It doesn't kill people but you may still be able to find some use for it."
Adrian nodded and smiled back up at the scientist. "This is neat. Thanks, Jack."
"As for myself... I don't know. Maybe I'll finally travel to the Southwest. My father was always convinced that there was another alien city buried somewhere in the Mojave Desert. "
Edward raised an eyebrow, equally as surprised as Adrian was by such a response. He wondered when such a crazy idea had crossed Jack's mind. Still, he couldn't say that the thought of putting Boston, and this whole life, behind them wasn't a tempting concept. He realized, though, that that particular moment wasn't the time for such a conversation. Not with company there.
"I'll be right back." The ghoul spoke, with the creeping suspicion their guest would be there a while longer.
Jack looked over at him in surprise, wondering for a moment if perhaps he was upset that they hadn't talked about it yet, but they exchanged nods before Edward left the room.
"Not exactly what I expected to hear, but I'm glad you've at least got your sights set on something." Adrian said. "That's just… a helluva trip."
"It is." Jack cooed, lowering his gaze to the journals on his table. "But it's something to look forward to instead of dwelling on all of the negative things or the past - something to keep me going ."
Adrian wondered, for a fleeting moment, what Jack was going to do about the serum, but he opted to keep such a potentially insensitive query to himself for the time being, and instead decided to extend him an offer.
"Look, I know you said you don't really need my help anymore, but if you're serious about all this… you'll need supplies and resources. And most likely, some help . So, if you need anything… I've got you."
The offer threw Jack for a bit of a loop, but he kept himself composed. He knew the man must be tired, but he smiled back at him weakly. He knew all too well about spreading oneself too thin. But he was also not about to turn down the offer from someone he knew was capable of backing it up.
"I really appreciate that. Thank you." He said, before taking his seat once more, and shifting half of his attention back to the papers in front of him. "If I ever make it far enough for it to be a concern, you'll certainly hear from me. You're welcome to stay if you like, but I should really get back to this -"
"I really hope you do. And yeah, I need to head back to the Castle soon, anyway, but…" Adrian folded his arms and trailed off for a moment. " - I wanted to ask you something else before I go."
Jack didn't stop writing, but he did offer his attention. "What is it?"
"You remember when I said you seemed familiar somehow?"
"Of course." Jack chirped. "Am I correct to assume that means you've figured it out?"
"Maybe… it all felt like it fell into place after Parsons. When it comes to your patients pre-war…" Adrian's face scrunched as he looked for the words he wanted to say. There was a hint of hesitation, but he asked anyway. "- does the name O'Malley ring any bells?"
The scientist's hand slowed to a crawl as he stewed on the question for a moment. Of course he remembered; It was always a case that had struck something of a personal chord with him; the way this patient had snapped reminded him entirely too much of his own father in some ways, and it only intensified his thoughts of what Lorenzo might do to the family were he to break free of his holding cell.
" Thomas O'Malley, " Jack finally resumed, shaking his head to disperse the thoughts that still, even now, even though he knew it was finally over, scared him. "- they brought him in for an evaluation after he… -"
"- stabbed his wife and their son…" Edward rasped, making his way into the room with three steaming mugs of coffee and handing one off to Jack and their guest, who both gestured their thanks, before settling against the lab table and taking a sip from his own.
"Yeah, that bastard." Adrian heaved a bitter laugh, enjoying the warmth against his clammy hands as he raised it to his lips. "I was still pretty young back then, so my memories are foggy, but… I remember . You did his evaluation. You looked a little different back then, but I'm sure it was you."
Jack exchanged looks with Edward before they both looked back at Adrian in shock.
"You're the boy , aren't you?" The former asked, cocking his head as he examined Adrian's features with a new degree of scrutiny - and suddenly it was almost impossible to unsee. He looked a lot like his father - maybe too much - or rather, he looked like a glimpse into what his father could have been under kinder circumstances. The parallels between his own situation and Adrian's weren't lost on Jack, but the only comfort the realization came with was bittersweet.
"Yeah." Adrian sighed, finally nodding in confirmation, not without a quiet scoff at the sheer coincidence of it all. He swirled the coffee in his mug and took another drink. " Of all the goddamn odds ."
"After his evaluation, I recall they sent him off to another facility." Jack pondered aloud. "It's probably a dumb question, but… do you have any idea what ever became of him?"
"Jer- uh, my adoptive dad would update me once in a while, but… as far as what happened to him after the war…" The scruffy one gave it some consideration, but after a long moment, all he could muster was a shrug. "If I know him, he probably busted his way outta' whatever facility he was in, found some raider gang to join. Feel like he'd be living his best life in all the chaos."
He looked down into his mug and swirled the liquid inside again, contemplating another moment as he nursed another swig.
"Hell, probably even turned into a ghoul once he figured out what that entailed. That'd give him even more time to wreak havoc . Bastard's probably still running around out there somewhere." He was thinking aloud more than he was really answering Jack's question at that point. "The good die young, but pricks live forever."
Jack and Edward looked at one another in good humor before they looked back at their guest, who quickly realized his err.
He sputtered on his last gulp of coffee, his eyes widened, and his cheeks darkened in embarrassment. "N- no , you guys are cool. I didn't mean it like that -"
"It's quite alright -" Jack dismissed it with a wave of the hand. "- are you okay?"
"Yeah, just… went down the wrong way." They were both relieved to see his coughing spell was short-lived, but couldn't help but chuckle at the hue that didn't leave his face. "Y'know, on that note, I think I should see myself out. Maybe we can talk more later, if you ever feel like it."
"I just might have to take you up on that sometime soon." Jack beamed him a smile. Goodness knew after that day's revelations, they'd have a lot more to talk about. "You take care now, alright?"
He thanked Jack for the weapon, and Edward for the coffee, and firmly reminded them both that they can call for him if they need anything, before he finally went about on his way to The Castle.
The front door closed, and a silence descended upon the house again as the ghoul turned his attention back down to the items on Jack's table. Two battered old leather-bound journals with yellowed parchment, and the pocket globe they'd found the day prior were all open for display as the man took notes in his own book.
" So …" Edward began, planting his rear on Jack's table and shifting to look at the man.
The single syllable was enough to halt him in his tracks - he stopped his writing, lowered his pen, and straightened his back before lifting his eyes to meet Edward's gaze. He already knew what was coming, and he took the defensive. "Listen, Edward, I'm sorry I didn't-"
" The Mojave Desert? " Edward interjected - something he typically didn't do, but those were far from typical circumstances. He kept his voice calm, but firm as he continued. "Where the hell did that even come from? Do you know what kinda' trip that's gonna' be? What kinda' shit we might meet along the way? How long it's gonna' take-"
"There's no way we could know. But it's a trip I've wanted to take since forever ago, and what better a time than now?"
"We just talked about this. You know I'd follow you anywhere , but time , Jack. That's just the thing -"
"I'm well aware of that." Jack's worried expression shifted to a warm, knowing smile. "And it's all the more initiative for me to finally get cracking on the serum, don't you think? It hardly seems worth starting such an ambitious endeavor without having that bump in the road sorted out first ."
The ghoul relaxed a bit, as he was starting to understand where Jack was going with the idea. Any arguments that came to mind were held back, allowing the man the proper opportunity to speak his peace. He knew Jack wasn't crazy, but sometimes it seemed there was a fine line between rational and batshit that he really liked to flirt with.
"What kept me working on the artifact for so long was the thought of perhaps finally being able to have a little more time with my father . It wasn't just the prospect of figuring out how to." Jack clarified. "So the thought of finding a solution to the serum predicament on its own hasn't been quite enough to light a fire under my ass , as you might say. But the thought of reaching that solution, and therefore finally getting out and living a life on my own terms - and doing something I've always wanted to do as a result - I think that should do the trick."
"You're making enough sense , but…" Edward's face scrunched up. He was still flabbergasted by one thing. "- the Mojave Desert, Jack?"
"Not necessarily ." Jack shrugged, his smile not once wavering. "But imagine what a journey it could be. I've always wanted to travel there, to further investigate my father's theories and see what sort of merit they might have, but honestly ? I think I'd be happy just about anywhere , so long as you're with me."
"Yeah, I see you tryin' to butter me up after gettin' a rise outta' me." Edward scoffed, crossing his arms, an involuntary smirk forming on his shriveled mouth as he glanced back at Jack. The man was dismissive enough about settling anywhere with Edward, but the ghoul was no idiot; he could hear the wistful tone in his voice as he spoke of his dreams of traveling west. And against his better judgement, he wasn't sure he had it in him to deprive Jack of it, either.
" Perhaps , but is it working ?"
"Doesn't it always ?"
"Just most of the time. But I'm glad. I was worried I might have upset you." Jack released a tense breath. "Even if I get far enough to indulge the idea, it's… going to be a while . I know that. And I know there will be a lot of preparation even after I, hypothetically , find a way to prolong the serum's effects. It won't be easy. But something in me really wants to get out and see the world."
"There's not a whole lot that you've ever done that's been quick or easy ." Edward chuckled, unfolding his arms and planting his palms against the tabletop. "And, listen, I'm… sorry for the knee-jerk reaction. I'm not that upset, it's just… a lot to process ."
"I know ." Jack murmured. "It only occurred to me just last night, so I hadn't had a proper chance to talk to you about it. Hell, it all hit me so fast, I wasn't even sure it's what I wanted , but it… it feels rightsomehow. Even if it's not all the way out west, it feels like a part of me is just yearning to finally get out of Boston."
"Lotta' bad memories here. Can't say I blame you."
"But a lot of good ones as well." Jack cooed, a certain significance in his tone as he reached to trace his fingers along Edward's gnarled hand. "However, I can't help but feel that if I somehow pull this off, it'll be high time to make some new ones elsewhere."
"Hell, we might even wrangle a few more outta' this hellhole before it's all said and done." The ghoul smiled back at the scientist warmly. "In fact, I hope we do ."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that sounded vaguely like an endorsement , Mr. Deegan." Jack smirked playfully at him, enticing a small laugh from the ghoul; a sound that warmed his heart. "So, humor me if you will; how do you really feel about my impulsive, off-the-wall scheme?"
Edward looked from those familiar, hopeful eyes, down to their hands, and back up, still half-contemplating his answer, half-dragging it out just to get back at Jack for earlier. But he couldn't fight the corners of his mouth as they shifted upwards.
"I don't hate it." He admitted. "But we both know you're stuck with me regardless."