"The Fallout"

The Citadel, Bailey

Peter had seen a lot of horrible things over the years. The Mutant Swamp Folk of Point Lookout, the terrors and troglodytes of the Pitt, and the abominations that he'd exterminated aboard Mothership Zeta. It had all been overbearing at one time, but he'd long since become desensitized to the horrors of the world. Even so, when he looked at the mass of flaming corpses that burned in the center of the Citadel's Bailey, he could feel a small part of himself burning along with the dead. Each bone that snapped from the heat made him flinch, something he hadn't done when gunshots had been flying over his head mere hours earlier.

There were a lot of horrible people resting amongst the flames for certain, the bastard Elder Maxson amongst them; but there were heroes as well, too many. Determining who had been on which side of the fighting when they had died was equally difficult, as there had hardly been time to stop and take a census of where everyone stood during the battle. All Peter knew was that a lot of people in the Brotherhood of Steel had answered Sarah's call to action, and many of them had died doing so.

Better to die a hero than live as a coward. Peter thought. It was perhaps a cold mentality, but it was his, and he wasn't about to apologize for it.

Even though he and Sarah were sitting and staring right at the price of victory, there was no doubt in his mind as to whether or not the costs had been worth it. He knew that Fawkes, had he still been alive, would've agreed. For all the death and misery that the war had wrought, the people of the Capital Wasteland would now live under the shield of the Brotherhood of Steel, not its oppressing shadow.

"Peter?" Sarah asked.

He turned to face her, as could be expected, she looked like shit. Exhaustion was starting to set in for her as much as it was him, and even though her wounds were treated, he knew that did little to dull the pain. But more than exhaustion, more than pain, she looked apprehensive, and he knew that it wasn't just the dead that she was thinking about.

"Something wrong?" He asked, before rhetorically kicking himself for such a stupid fucking remark. Of course something was wrong, she was staring at a giant burning pile of the corpses of their brothers and sisters.

Thankfully, Sarah was willing to ignore the stupidity of his question; either that, or she was so tired that she hadn't processed it correctly. "Just making sure that you're still conscious, you got hit pretty hard back there."

Peter nodded, for all of his beneficial mutations and natural toughness, he felt like he'd been thrown through a woodchipper. "I'll manage."

Sarah shook her head, but smiled. "Always so stalwart… maybe you should be the one becoming Elder."

Peter immediately shook his head, he understood that Sarah was saying that as more than just a joke. He remembered her admission that she'd never really wanted to become Elder, and he knew that was probably a large part of her discomfort, but he still felt a need to try to help. "Don't say that, you're going to make a great Elder. Your father would be proud."

Sarah stared out into the flames for a moment, before turning her gaze to the ground. "A great Elder would've never let any of this happen in the first place."

"You know it isn't your fault." Peter said, perhaps a bit more harshly than first intended, so he made sure to speak a little more softly as he continued. "You made your decisions as best as you could."

Sarah didn't say anything for a moment, before holding out her hand, which he took. She scooted over a bit closer to him and leaned on his shoulder as she stared into the flames.

Sarah tensed up in hesitation for a moment, before she finally said what was on her mind, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke. "I'm really glad that you came back, Peter."

He squeezed her hand a little bit tighter as her innocently-inspired comment inspired some dreadful thoughts within him. Perhaps if he'd just stopped by the Capital Wasteland once or twice, he would've been able to stop Maxson from rising to power and corrupting the Brotherhood.

Forget about that, no sense dwelling on it. Peter thought as he studied Sarah's expression. She still didn't look happy, but now that she was leaning up against him, she seemed just a little bit more content. Focus on the now, on what- on who matters.

"I'm not going anywhere." He firmly stated, and was relieved to see Sarah relax just a little bit more.

"Good." She wistfully said.

They couldn't rest for long, not with so much work to be done. Yet for a brief moment, after so much chaos, they were finally able to stop and enjoy each other's presence, the blaze in the courtyard subsiding.

A Day Later

Ashville, Kentucky

In truth, Colonel Autumn hadn't expected Operation Knightfall to go nearly as well as it actually had. The biggest factor in their success, and one that he'd entirely failed to predict, was just how many members of the Brotherhood of Steel would be willing to switch sides in the middle of the battle. Of course, that was fine by him, as it meant that the Enclave had taken only a handful of losses during their expedition, and the majority of them could return home without so much as a scratch.

They were in the final stretch of their return trip; he was riding in Captain Whitman's Vertibird, along with some of his best soldiers. There was little in the way of conversation going on, they were all just so tired, they could hardly manage staying awake. Indeed, a few of them were actually asleep. As a result, he was given a lot of time to think about the mission, and how it had gone.

By all accounts, it was an overwhelming success. The proof of that lay in a small black leather briefcase about the size of a football, resting beside his feet. Within were all of the secrets of the Pentagon that he'd ever dreamt about recovering, the blueprints to a truly modern military and a rebuilt society.

So if the mission had been accomplished, why did he feel so empty?

A part of it definitely lay in his memories. For as powerful as the Enclave had been, it had seen little more than defeat after defeat up until very recently. Although he felt pride at leading the Enclave to the successes that he had, he wasn't so quick to forget his predecessors failures, nor his own.

Maybe it's just because I'm tired. He hypothesized. He hadn't gotten any decent sleep since before the battle, and it was probably influencing his mental acuity.

Thankfully, he wouldn't have to wait long before he could rest. They were only perhaps a minute away from Ashville, and once he was back home, he and his men could get some well-earned time off.

Finally, he felt the vertibird lurch, before coming to a rest as the landing gear made contact with the runway. The rotors powered down and the door opened, allowing the occupants to disembark. Autumn gathered the briefcase and stepped out of the aircraft onto the tarmac, but found himself not even remotely prepared for what greeted him.

The citizens and soldiers of Ashville had congregated around the runway, and as he and his soldiers left their aircraft, he could hear them triumphantly cheering. Some of the soldiers ran up to meet them, reuniting with their families, hugging and celebrating their reunification and their victory. Helmets and rifles were raised triumphantly, and for a brief moment, Autumn was stunned, and didn't really know how to react.

Then, he felt the most peculiar feeling, one that he'd never truly felt before. Even in the cool winter air, he felt a great warmth swell in his chest. He looked down at the briefcase in his hands once more, but quickly decided to pay it no further mind for the rest of the night. It was important, and would require his attention… but not tonight.

As he looked out at all of his people, cheering and singing and laughing, he allowed himself a small smile. So, this is what it's like to win.

And so, even though he was exhausted, he joined in the impromptu festivities. Although he justified it to his lieutenants as making sure that things didn't get too out of hand, privately, he was savoring the moment.

The Enclave had- no, not the Enclave, not even the United States of America. It was him and his men that finally had something they could call their own. A victory, something noble and triumphant that they could hold to their name, and it was liberating.

Several Days Later

The Citadel

Lucy was impressed with how quickly the Brotherhood of Steel was able to get the Citadel back into working order. Some things like the main gate and the large crane were totally destroyed, and would take many months to replace, but in just a few days they had liveable Barracks, a place to treat the wounded, and perhaps most importantly, a repaired latrine.

She and Veronica had helped out where they could, using their technical knowledge to stitch together some of the terminals and computers that had been damaged in the fighting. Meanwhile, Boone and his small band of NCR soldiers helped keep the perimeter secure from any enterprising raiders while the Brotherhood were at their most vulnerable. Arcade had sadly had to depart along with the rest of the Enclave, but not before saying his goodbyes.

"Hey Veronica, can you hand me that clamp?" Lucy asked as she held open an access panel to a computer that was as big as she was. She wasn't quite sure what the Brotherhood had been using it for, but the Scribes were anxious to get it back online as quickly as possible.

Veronica obligingly handed over the requested tool, which Lucy promptly used to hold down a pair of offending live wires that would have otherwise gotten in her way.

Her companion, despite appearing considerably better than she had over the last few days, looked apprehensive. "Are you sure that we shouldn't turn the power off on this while you're poking around with it?"

Lucy shook her head. "Nope. Without the power on, I can't find the problem. Don't worry, I'm grounded, if I mess up-"

As if on cue, a live wire fell from its mounting and hit her on the arm, giving her a nasty shock as she recoiled backwards.

"Ow, fucker!" Lucy swore as she shook her hand while Veronica tried not to laugh. "Shut up! It's not that funny!"

Veronica's efforts to hold back her laughter failed, and she burst out laughing, followed shortly by Lucy. She couldn't help but admit, the timing had been quite funny.

"Everything okay over here?"

Both of them turned around and came face to face with Elder Lyons, and immediately froze and straightened up. She was looking at them and obviously trying not to laugh, now dressed in her new Elder Robes, with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

"Uh, yes ma'am, we're-" Lucy stammered, before Sarah cut her off.

"It's alright, I get it." Sarah said, "I wanted to talk to you two before you left, I know you can't stick around for too much longer."

Veronica shrugged in apology. "Believe me, we would love to stay and help out more, but we've left Christine on her own for too long already."

"I understand, don't feel bad for leaving, you've done more than your fair share to help us out." Sarah said. "Honestly, from what Peter's told me about how you two fight, you might've been able to take down Maxson all by yourselves."

Veronica readily nodded. "I'm pretty good, but Lucy's the one who's actually brought down nations."

Lucy paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. She wasn't fond of boasting, but she wasn't ignorant of her own combat talents either. She'd personally killed somewhere around forty people during the attack on the Citadel, and most of them had been trained soldiers in Power Armor.

At the same time however, it wasn't something she was exactly proud of, nor something she was happy about having been forced to do. She also wasn't eager to talk about how she'd probably killed a lot of Sarah's friends directly to her face, even if they had been turned against her. It wasn't the only time that Lucy had killed a lot of people and felt doubts about it either.

Just don't think about it, another time, another place… Lucy buried the unhelpful thoughts. "Maybe, but I don't think I could've gotten anybody on my side like you did."

She left what she would have done otherwise unsaid, but Sarah and Veronica were both perceptive enough to put it together; Sarah actually nodded. "I wouldn't have blamed you either. If it was a choice between destroying the Brotherhood and having Maxson be in charge, I would rather it be destroyed entirely."

"I'm glad that we're of the same mind." Lucy replied. "And that it wasn't necessary."

"Indeed…" Sarah said, before digging around in one of the storage compartments in her armor. "Anyway, I have something for the both of you. I can't spare anything valuable, I'm sure you understand, but I figured you've earned a reward in some sense. Lucy, this is for you."

Lucy opened her mouth to refuse it, as she wasn't about to take anything away from Sarah's Chapter while they were at their weakest. She was stopped, however, when Sarah handed her a small pin. It was forged of steel, and resembled the Brotherhood of Steel's insignia, with a lion where the three gears were typically located.

"The Lyons' Pride was a unit originally made in my dad's honor, they were meant to represent the best Knights and Paladins of our Chapter." Sarah said. "Including Peter and I, there's only five of us left, and only three who can fight, at least of the original members."

Lucy held the pin up to a nearby light and examined it more closely, the craftsmanship of it was remarkable, although there was a slight dent to it, along with a blackened mark, likely from a laser weapon. The only similar decoration she'd seen was a ribbon that Christine owned, identifying her as a member of the Circle of Steel.

"It belonged to Knight Captain Colvin. He was a close friend, very compassionate. He… didn't make it through the battle." Sarah said. "I've realized that the Lyons' Pride can't keep operating, but that doesn't mean that the idea can't live on. Lucy, you are, without question, the most capable Paladin I have ever met, I would be honored to have you in the pride."

Lucy didn't need to think too hard about it, she understood that it was effectively a sentimental formality, but that did not mean it was unwelcome. She smiled and turned back to Sarah. "I'll, uh, have to find a place to put this on my new armor…"

Sarah chuckled. "I'm sure you'll manage. Now, as for you, Veronica…"

"If it's a dress, I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm afraid my closet is full." Veronica slyly commented.

"Oh, is that so?" Sarah replied with a similar tone. "Well, then, I suppose you won't be needing these."

Sarah reached into the duffel bag and, in one swift motion, withdrew and unfurled a full set of scribe robes. Veronica stood in stunned silence as Sarah smiled broadly at her.

"Peter told me about how you had to leave your Chapter, and we figured that you might consider-"

Sarah was cut off, however, but Veronica practically tackled her in a hug, squishing the robes between the two of them. "Oh my God! Thank you thank you thank you!"

Sarah laughed heartily. "Well, I guess that answers my question!"

After a moment of realization, Veronica leapt back to Lucy's side, her face as red as the robes. "I am so sorry, I just got caught up in the heat of the moment-"

Sarah, still laughing, struggled to get out the words. "It's alright. Welcome back to the Brotherhood, Scribe Veronica."

She folded the robes and put them back in the duffel bag, before handing it over to Veronica.

Lucy patted her on the back. "Congratulations scribe, what do you think? Is this a Brotherhood that you can be proud of being a part of?"

Veronica stood up straighter, prouder, Lucy realized. "Absolutely. Thank you, Elder Lyons."

Sarah's smile wavered for a moment, but returned shortly enough. "It was my pleasure. Please, let me know before you all go back home, I'd like to say goodbye."

"We will." Lucy reassured her. "But uh, I've got to fix this terminal before I do anything else."

Sarah nodded. "I'll let you get back to it."

Sarah turned and left, and Lucy noticed Veronica peeking into her duffel bag excitedly. "I don't know about you Luce', but I think this is better than any bag of caps."

Lucy spun the Lyons Pride pin in her hand once more, sparing a thought for the man who'd previously worn it, before putting it in one of her pockets. "Yeah… I think you're onto something."

Several Days Later

Vault 101

Peter, Sarah, Paladin Tristan, Lucy, Veronica, and Moira Brown all stood outside of the entrance to Vault 101. Yesterday, the Brotherhood of Steel Garrison within, still loyal to Elder Maxson, had surrendered without a fight in exchange for free passage out of the Capital Wasteland, with most of the gear within the Vault being left behind as part of the agreement. Peter had been in favor of going back on the deal and wiping them out, but Sarah had convinced him to honor it.

"It's not worth the bloodshed." She had said.

When they were all gone, Peter and Sarah went over to the scenic overlook by themselves. It was the first place outside the Vault that Peter had ever visited, the first of the outside world that he'd ever seen, and where he'd truly started his life. The snow on the ground made it look different, and would have frozen him solid, were it not for the new set of WInterized T-45D he was wearing.

Paladin Tristain watched their backs alongside Moira Brown, who was no doubt annoying him with some of her typical antics. Veronica and Lucy were scavenging the Vault, looking for booby traps left behind by the garrison, and no doubt snatching a few well-earned souvenirs for themselves as well.

There, they found a grave forged out of what had once been the door of a pre-war car, but shaped by Peter into something a little bit nicer. Inscribed on the grave with a knife was the following:

"Here lies Fawkes. Compassionate Hero, Dear Friend, Loved Brother."

Peter knelt down in front of the grave and took a long, deep breath. Burying Fawkes' decayed remains had been hard, but with the help of Lucy, Veronica, Moira, Tristain, and Sarah, it was doable. That had been yesterday, but it hadn't been safe to pay his respects then. Now that it was…

He didn't cry, which surprised him. He hadn't cried while burying his friend either, which had also been a surprise. He wasn't sure what to make of it, that he no longer cried at his brother's passing. He certainly hadn't moved past it, the loss hurt far worse than any of his healing wounds.

"Rest easy buddy, I hope you're happy with this place. It's not exactly as scenic a view as the sign might say but… well, you get the idea."

The cold winter wind billowed around him, offering no clear response.

"I owe you my life, and not just for that business with the purifier. You pulled me out of the fire more times than I can count. I… I wish you could've lived to be here with us, I think you would've been happy with what we've accomplished."

For the briefest moment, the wind paused, before picking up again. In the distance, there was a burst of gunfire and an explosion, a reminder that staying still in the open was probably not a good idea.

With one shaky final breath, Peter placed a single spent .308 rifle cartridge on Fawkes' grave. He knew that his friend would've probably preferred flowers, but they were hard to procure even when the ground wasn't covered in inches of snow.

"Goodbye buddy, it's been an honor."

Peter reluctantly stood up and walked back over to Sarah. She was in a new suit of Power Armor now, Winterized T-45D, just like his, but with blue markings on the helmet, a sign of her position. Even with her helmet on, Peter could see the worry in her eyes as she looked back at him. "Are you sure you're ready to go?"

Peter nodded. "...Yeah, I think so. What about the others, are they ready to go?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, come on."

She held out her hand, and he took it, and together they walked over through the snow back towards the Vault entrance. Lucy and Veronica were showing off their loot to Tristain and Moira, Lucy had a commemorative Vault 101 snowglobe and a duffel bag filled with similar knicknacks, and Veronica had some strange looking technical device no doubt uninstalled from one of the Vault's workshops.

Moira was the first to spot their approach, and unfortunately, she had something to say about it. "Awww, look, they're holding hands!"

Sarah didn't release his hand at her comment, if anything, she held onto him a bit tighter. "Are you guys ready to go?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah… honestly, I can't wait to get back to the desert. No offense, but this place sucks."

"Me too." Lucy confirmed.

"Well, let's not wait around then." Peter said.

Author's Notes: The Epilogue will have all of the more robust Author's Notes. Wait for those.