A Fallout 4 fic I wrote a while back, set mid-canon.

Disclaimer - I don't own Fallout 4.

"Good luck, Blue."

The ebony-skinned woman gave a grateful nod, hugging Piper tightly for a few seconds before stepping into the machine. "See you soon, Pipes."

There was a loud hum and a flash of energy as the signal interceptor kicked into gear, followed soon after by a large snapping sound. "Shit!"

Piper's grip tightened on the pistol at her side and she stepped towards the machine. "Blue!"

In another flash, the other woman was gone. Piper whirled to Sturges, her face set into a scowl. "What happened?"

"One of the pipes just burst. Not sure why, everything looks good here… It shouldn't affect teleportation, but it is still slightly concerning."

"Well, get her back!"

"One way trip. I'm sorry, Piper… There's nothing we can do now but wait and pray she makes it back safely."

Piper, frustrated and stubborn as she was, knew when she was out of luck. Turning, she stalked away, leaving Sturges to the machine. Only a couple of hours later, there was a quiet 'ping' sound and the woman Piper had been so worried about appeared in the middle of the main Sanctuary Hills road. Piper, overjoyed, ran to the slightly-older woman's side immediately, helping to support her as she stumbled. "It… it worked, Pipes. We found a way into the Institute."

With Piper supporting the weary dark-skinned woman, the two of them made their way to the ruins of what had once been the Sole Survivor's house, where Lana sank down onto the bed in what had once been the room she and Nate had shared. "Blue… You don't sound too happy."

Lana managed a weak smile before burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook and the muffled sound of sobbing soon filled the room. Piper watched uncomfortably for a few minutes before sinking down onto the mattress herself and wrapping an arm around her girlfriend's shoulder, pulling the older woman into her side and kissing her forehead. "Hey… Hey, Blue, I'm here. Whatever happened, you can tell me. What happened? Was Shaun not there?"

At the mention of her son's name, Lana's sobs grew louder. Piper shifted uncomfortably, uncertain of her next action, before hugging her girlfriend tighter. "Blue?"

When Lana finally removed her hands from in front of her face and spoke, her words were punctuated by the sounds of choked sobs every few seconds."It was all for nothing, Piper… My son is the leader of the very same organization that we've been trying to take down. I thought… I thought that only a couple of weeks… months at most… had passed since he'd been kidnapped but it turns out… it turns out it was almost 60 years… I feel so damn useless."

Piper sighed softly, gently guiding her girlfriend so that both women were laying down on the bed. Lana immediately curled into Piper's side, burying her face in her girlfriend's neck, Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed, and Piper could feel the salty water soaking into her jacket. She sighed, slightly annoyed. This was, quite frankly, not how she had expected her first time in bed with her girlfriend to go. Slipping her arms around Lana's waist and hugging her tightly, she placed a quick kiss on the woman's forehead. "Hey… I'm here. It's okay. Blue, you are not useless, okay?"

A soft sniffle was all she got in response. "Blue. Look at me. I need you to look at me, okay?"

When the Sole Survivor raised her head so that their eyes met, Piper's heart ached for her girlfriend. The Sole Survivor's soft blue-grey eyes were rimmed with red, her cheeks stained with tears. Piper cupped her chin gently, placing the gentlest of kisses to Lana's lips before pulling away. "Blue… We… You have done so much good for the Commonwealth since we met in Diamond City. Hell, since you emerged from the Vault you've done nothing but good. You brought the Minutemen back, remember? Helped them re-establish a foothold in the Commonwealth and protect so many people from problems that could otherwise have got so much worse than they did. You helped them retake the Castle from the mirelurks. Hell, Blue, you killed that Mirelurk Queen!"

Lana chuckled gently, remembering exactly what Piper was talking about. "She really did put up a hell of a fight."

Piper smiled softly, glad to see her girlfriend out of her funk. "We rescued Nick Valentine in Vault 114 and took down Skinny Malone and his gangsters as well, remember?"

"I remember… Took down Dino with a couple of shots to the back and convinced Darla to leave by reminding her that her parents love her. Guess there are some situations that parental love really can help" came the quiet reply.

"Speaking of parental love… Remember when we found Billy, the ghoul boy who was stuck in the fridge? The Gunners wanted us to sell him to them but we refused and took the kid back to his parents?"

"And then the Gunners tried to attack the house themselves but we kept them safe. I remember. God, that Bullet guy was a jerk."

Both chuckle slightly at the memory, and Piper held the other woman tighter for a couple of seconds. "But you… you take my point, right, Blue? The Commonwealth is a better place because of you, because of everything you've done. Every little thing you've done has contributed to giving someone in the Commonwealth a better life, so don't you dare ever call yourself useless again, okay? Honestly, I feel like sometimes you're the most useful person around here."

"Fine."

At that second, the Pip-Boy on Lana's arm crackled into life. "Attention, Minutemen! Word's come in that a settlement needs our help. Please respond if you can."

This was followed immediately by the name of one of the settlements they had only recently helped. Lana sighed, disentangling herself from Piper and getting to her feet. "Just when I thought we'd have a few minutes to relax… I guess our work is never done, Red."

Piper nodded as she got to her own feet. "Just another day in the Commonwealth I guess."

Lana gave her girlfriend a soft smile as they headed for the door that led back out to Sanctuary Hills. Really, what would I do without you, Piper? "Just another day in the Commonwealth."