"I won't repeat myself Dawn", Joshua's tone was severe this time, "I said no. Not 'maybe', not 'I'm not sure'… No!" He'd spent almost the whole morning being accosted by her about Mary and how it was time to move things along.

Dawn's shoulders slumped in frustration but she didn't give up, "I really don't understand you Joshua. Why are you so against this?"

"Because it's improper", he answered, raising his voice since she didn't seem to be hearing him very well, "And I don't think she'd appreciate something like that. Now let it go".

She stood in the doorway blocking his way out and a determined look in her eye. Even though she was elderly and only came up to about his shoulder height, she still had a way about her that made him feel like a little kid being scorned for refusing to do his chores.

"Dawn… You're behaving immaturely", he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"And you are behaving like a stubborn big horner", she retorted, folding her arms in front of her chest, "You won't even entertain the idea of asking her".

"Because, as I've said before, it's not proper", he replied with forced calm, "Please, I don't want to get into an argument with you".

"Then don't", Dawn smiled, trying to approach the topic in another way, "Let's just ask Mary what she thinks. I'll go with you!"

"You are impossible", Joshua groaned.

Without giving him any more fuss, Dawn decided that she wasn't getting anywhere with her nephew. Instead, she was going to take matters into her own hands. But first she had to settle the dust between her and Joshua so he wouldn't suspect. "Fine! You win. But as someone who has had more life experience than you, I can tell you that you'll regret this decision", and she went to sit back down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and pretended to ignore him by resuming her reading, silently scheming how she was going to approach the topic to Mary.


When Mary saw the familiar grey hair and determined strut of the elder making her way up the dirt path to her cabin, she was surprised that Dawn made her way all by herself. She'd been tending the crops in the front while the children stayed in the shade reading an old world play that she had found tucked away in one of the dusty corners in the small town's library.

"Dawn! This is a surprise…", Mary called, removing her gardening gloves and patting the dust and dirt off of her overalls as Dawn approached her with a smile, "Everything alright in town?"

"Oh yes, everything's fine", she waved a hand to quell the surprised look on Mary's face, "I've actually come to see you. Do you have a few moments to talk?"

"Um, sure", Mary nodded, feeling a little knot tie in her stomach. Dawn normally never came up to her cabin to talk, unless it was an urgent matter, "Let's go inside, I've got a jug of sweet agave and yucca blossom tea that should be cool enough to drink now".

Inside the cabin, Dawn tried her best to stop herself from fidgeting too much. Whenever she felt excited or frustrated she had a fidgeting twitch with her hands and sometimes feet; and Mary was beginning to notice.

"Dawn, are you sure everything's alright? You're… Well, you're fidgeting", Mary commented as she poured her a cup of the sweet tasting tea.

"Actually there was something that I've wanted to bring up to you about", Dawn nodded, accepting her cup and taking a satisfying sip before she continued, "It's about Joshua".

"Oh?" Mary's eyebrows raised slightly, "How is he?"

"He's in pain my dear", Dawn shook her head and tutted.

"What's wrong? Is he alright?", Mary stood back up and started for her doctors' bag, until Dawn stopped her.

"Don't worry yourself! He's not physically hurt. No, this is different".

"I don't understand", Mary leaned forward, still feeling uneasy, "What's wrong?"

"He's in love, my dear. With you", Dawn smiled and rested her weathered hand on hers, "But he's too proud and stubborn to do anything about it. So, I've come to see if we women could do anything about it".

Mary could feel her whole body flush with embarrassment, her hands go clammy and her voice stuttered when she tried to reply.

"Oh come now my dear, there's no need to be embarrassed. I was once young too and I know love when I see it", Dawn smiled perceptively.

"Dawn, I'm sorry, but… This is not right", Mary shook her head, still shocked that Dawn had betrayed Joshua's most private thoughts. Mary wouldn't deny that she could feel there was something between her and Joshua, but even in the short amount of time they knew each other, Mary understood what kind of man he was and appreciated him for it.

"Why ever not?" Dawn asked in confusion, "It's clear that you both enjoy each other's company, he thinks about you almost every-"

"Enough, Dawn!" Mary's voice rose, "I can't believe you would do this to your own family".

"I am looking out for my family", Dawn protested, rising from her seat, "I merely want to see Joshua finally settled and happy".

"And yet you didn't once stop to think what he wanted. Or what I want, for that matter", she answered, "After all the years I've been here, you should know me better by now. I am not desperate to find a man, I could happily live out the rest of my days without a partner if I so chose".

Although it felt uncomfortable to speak to her in that way, Mary couldn't stand by and watch Dawn betray Joshua's trust this way any longer, let alone walk all over Mary the second she wanted something for herself. She'd done it to her in the past, but this was the last straw.

"Well… I am sorry I bothered you with this", Dawn wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and started for the door in a huff, "Good evening to you".

"If Joshua wanted this, he would have come to me and we would have spoken about the matter like adults", Mary called out behind her, "What you did today was very improper".

Although upset and leaving with her pride chipped a bit, Mary's last comment put cheeky grin on Dawn's face, "They're perfect for each other", she muttered to herself as she descended back down the hill and into town.


At the hint of first light, Aelius awoke and set off to start prepping the cuts of radstag meat he'd put aside the night before. Ash and her son Gael were still fast asleep in their bed, so he left the cabin quietly, making sure not to disturb them.

Outside, he made a small fire pit, filled it with dried twigs and leaves that he was able to find scattered around their cabin, and made a drying rack for the meat on top of the fire. He busied himself getting everything ready for their departure, collecting water from the reservoir and adding some water purification tablets to it that he found in the adjacent cabin, fixing his worn armour and sharpening the machetes. By the time the meat had cured and Aelius had it packed away it was already gloriously sunny outside; he estimated around 9AM, but there was still no sign of Ash and Gael stirring. Just as he had a mind to go back into the cabin and rouse them, Ash walked out of the front door groggily, a blanket still wrapped around her.

"Good morning", he said, packing up some extra clothes in his bag, "Are you and Gael ready?"

"I just woke up", Ash answered, her voice rough from sleep, "Aelius, we're exhausted. Couldn't we stay here for one more day?" she pleaded.

Aelius shifted on his feet, trying to come up with an answer that didn't sound too much like he was demanding. Years of survival training and conditioning made him efficient and impatient when it came to rest; he wasn't used to this, travelling so slowly and having to wait on others. It was a difficult thing to let go of, but it kept them alive so far.

"Not sure that's wise. We should keep moving".

Ash's shoulders slumped slightly, and her gaze fell to the ground, "I see…"

"I thought you wanted to get home quickly", he tilted his head in confusion, "The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get to where you and Gael will be safe".

"But…we're safe here, too", Ash pleaded, "Come on, one more day; that's all I ask. I promise, tomorrow Gael and I will both be ready to go by dawn".

Aelius considered the idea over in his mind. A day would set them back at least twenty miles, but if both she and Gael were exhausted from their travels, then it would probably cost them more in the long run if they left today.

He sighed and finally relented, "Alright… One more day. But we leave tomorrow morning".

Ash grinned and nodded in agreement, "Tomorrow. Thank you Aelius".

The rest of the day was spent resting and relaxing by the reservoir while Gael played with his toys. Ash had found a grill in one of the other cabins as well as some tinned beans and tomatoes, and they all had an indulgent lunch outdoors grilling the radstag meat. Even though it appeared that Ash was feeling more comfortable around him and was being friendly, Aelius still kept a respectable distance from her. He didn't want her to feel as though she needed to repay him for anything; that wasn't why he went back for them.

"Pick me up! Pick me up!" Gael came scampering to him, pulling on his belt for attention.

"Pick you up?" Aelius smiled down at him.

"Yeah!" Gael beamed, "I wanna fly!"

Aelius raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked over at Ash.

"His father used to hold him up and pretend he was making Gael fly", Ash demonstrated, a sombre smile creeping on her features.

"Oh…", Aelius sighed, unsure of what to do, "I'm not sure if that's a good idea buddy", he ruffled Gael's hair.

"It's alright, go ahead", Ash nodded in approval, "I haven't been able to pick him up like that since he was a baby, so… I'm not doing it", she held up her hands in defeat.

Gael was still bouncing eagerly on his little feet and looking up at Aelius expectantly.

"Well… Alright then", Aelius resigned, "Come on". He picked Gael up and supported him with both hands, moving him through the air as he'd watched Gael when he played with his toy airplanes, and immediately Gael erupted in joyous laughter, egging Aelius to perform more daring manoeuvres. Who knew that such a simple act could bring so much happiness? Then Aelius had an idea about how he could make Gael's 'flight' more...interesting.

"Oh no! We've been hit!" he grunted playfully, bouncing Gael and zig zagging him in the air, "We need to land!"

"Over there!" Gael giggled and pointed to the reservoir.

"Nah uh Gael, you just had your lunch", Ash called behind them and Aelius veered away from the water as instructed.

"Looks like it'll be a bumpy landing!" he grunted, making erratic twists and turns while Gael giggled and egged him on to do more. With Gael's enthusiasm spurring him on, Aelius tossed Gael straight up about three feet above his head and laughed as the boy squealed with excitement when he caught him in his arms.

"Again! Do it again!" Gael commanded, but a concerned look in Ash's eyes stopped Aelius from doing so. Instead, he veered off in her direction and set Gael down on the bench next to her.

"Maybe next time buddy. You're getting pretty heavy, I'm not sure I'll be able to lift you up for much longer", Aelius smiled and handed him his air plane toy back.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that", Ash replied, giving Aelius a friendly smile that made his ears feel like they were burning.

He grinned awkwardly and nodded, "I'm, uh… I'm going to go and pack our supplies for tomorrow", and left before his gracelessness got the better of him. He still wasn't sure why Ash was being so nice to him, and he had a feeling that if he didn't find a way to deal with being uncomfortable with it that he'd end up making himself look like a fool.

Evening came quickly in the middle of winter in the wastelands, and all three of them settled in for the night. Aelius lay on his bed, listening to the rhythmic breathing of Ash and her son. He wondered what kind of a future was in store for him. It was a difficult matter to think about. Since he was forced into the Legion, his only concerns for his future were to survive. Do it long enough and maybe he would have found an opportunity to get his family out of the Legion camp. Now that future was gone and Aelius was left with a blank slate. Would he end up wandering the wastelands, scavenging for food and supplies every day until his last? Would Ash's community take him in, and if so, he didn't know how he would fit in or what his new purpose would be. The possibility of going to NCR territory and enlisting in their forces entered his mind, but he had a feeling that even though he would be as forthcoming about Legionary positions, tactics and weaknesses with them, he would never be fully trusted and would be treated as a prisoner.

Turning on his side, he quelled his mind of the thoughts that were taking away from his sleep. Tomorrow would be a long and busy day, and he will need to have all of his strength and wits about him if he was going to successfully lead Ash and Gael back to their home.


Standing over a rotting corpse of one of the fallen Cannibal tribesmen, Aurelius surveyed the area where the fight took place between the Legionary scouting party and the Cannibals. From the decay of the bodies, it appeared that the events transpired almost two weeks ago. His company, a group of a dozen men, were spread out and searching for clues as to the whereabouts of the two missing people. Aurelius moved to the destroyed tent of the scouting party's leader, whose body was only a couple of feet away. He carried out his search and found Marcellus' journal. Flipping to the last page entry he found some interesting information; the scouting party had come across a caravan travelling without the mark of Caesar. What was even more intriguing was that the caravan trader they ran into was a woman. The text went on to detail the inventory that was confiscated from the profligate, and some information on the appearance of the woman, but not much else.

"Aurelius, our tracker found something you will want to see", one of the men said as he approached. Aurelius followed the man to the tracker, who was kneeling on the ground some distance away, his face only a few feet from the ground analysing various marks in the ground.

"What have you found?" Aurelius asked behind the man, keeping away from the immediate area so as not to disturb the marks.

"There was a child in the camp", the tracker turned to his superior, "And I found marks of another, smaller individual. Might be a woman from the hand prints in the dirt".

Aurelius nodded, "You are indeed as good as Caesar praised. I found Marcellus' journal and in it he mentioned that they picked up a woman; though there was no mention of a child".

"Maybe they found the child later, just before the camp was attacked", the tracker answered, looking away from the tracks and to the north, "This is where the attack happened. Then, the tracks of the woman, the child, and a man lead away from the camp".

"Very well. Lead on", he instructed. Without hesitation, his subordinates fell into line and followed the tracker down the side of the rocky face and to the plains at the bottom.

If Aurelius were to find the missing men, he would undoubtedly be commended for his actions, bringing him closer to a position where he could have more responsibility in tactical planning rather than being in the thick of the fighting. After years of working up the ranks, he could almost taste his success. The sooner he locates the missing men and the female prisoner, the sooner he could go back and claim his just reward.


Two days had gone by since they left the comfort and safety of the cabins at the reservoir. With Gael sitting on Aelius' shoulders, he and Ash made good timing on their trek before nightfall came and they made camp on the side of a grassy hill. The path they took was slightly longer, but the scenery and untouched nature of the area made Aelius and Ash glad they took the longer route. Fields of long grass, colourful flowers that brought a curious look and smiles to Gael's face, and even evergreen trees made their trek through the wilderness very pleasant. Aelius didn't even know that such beautiful places existed anymore, he thought that they had all been destroyed by the bombs during the Great War. It was difficult not to picture himself making a home for himself here.

The day passed very quickly and the road they took was ideal, free of predators and any signs of human civilisation. He estimated that they had crossed just under thirty miles before they stopped. If they carried on like this, they would get to Ash's hometown in less than a week!

"Alright Gael, time for us to set up camp", Aelius picked the boy up and off his shoulders, setting him down on his feet. The boy went off to help his mother unfurl their sleeping bags and set a boundary for their camp, while Aelius ventured further ahead to pick up materials for a camp fire. He made sure to collect enough rocks to create a wall around their fire to hide as much of the light given off as possible, just in case there was anyone watching. Appearances could be deceiving, and even though the area looked to be clear and safe, Aelius' experience taught him better.

They gathered around the fire and prepared the evening meal without saying much, exhausted from the long day's trek and wanting nothing more than to curl up in their sleeping bags.

"I'll take the first watch", Aelius said with a mouthful of food, but Ash shook her head.

"You should be the one to get some rest first, you must be exhausted".

"I'm fine", Aelius shook his head, taking another bite of the cured radstag meat he prepared when they were at the cabin.

"Well, I insist", Ash sighed, "Besides, we're in a relatively safe spot and haven't encountered any predators around".

"We still have to be wary, especially in areas that seem safe".

Ash nodded, "And I will be. Believe it or not, I've done this before".

After a moment considering her offer, Aelius gave in and agreed with Ash.

"If you see or hear anything, or feel like you can't stay awake any longer –"

"I'll wake you, don't worry", she finished his sentence.

With Gael and Aelius settled in their respective sleeping bags, Ash sat a few paces in front of them and took first watch, resting her back on a smooth, flat side of a rock and one of the machetes in her hands. She watched Gael and Aelius as they slumbered, their bodies rising and falling with each breath, and she listened to the soothing sounds of crickets around them as the waning moon's light cast an otherworldly radiant glow to the land around them. Ash breathed in the fresh, crisp air, and found herself picturing a life for herself and Gael on the top of one of these hills, so far away from the troubles and pain she experienced in her previous life and with so much potential.


"Over here", Aurelius heard the tracker in front call out. After marching for two days and following a set of footprints that Aurelius could barely discern himself, they finally came across another discovery. It was the body of one of their own.

"Do we know who this is?" Aurelius asked, kneeling down to examine the contorted and bloody decaying body.

"Valens. One of the scouts from the party that separated from the main group", one of the soldiers answered.

"So, now we know who the deserter is", Aurelius mused, standing back up onto his feet and ripping out a piece of paper from his journal to write down the information, "Who among you will volunteer to take this information to Caesar?"

One of the men, a Scout, stepped forward and at attention.

"Very good", Aurelius answered absentmindedly, his eyes focused on the message he was writing, "Take this note to Caesar himself, and let him know we will carry on in our pursuit to find Aelius, the absconder".

The Scout nodded, placed the note carefully in one of his satchels secured to his belt, and proceeded to run back to their master.

"What of the woman and child that are travelling with him?" the tracker asked eagerly, "Shouldn't we notify Caesar of this as well?"

"If we find them with our deserter, we will capture them. They will be an added bonus for us; maybe Caesar will be generous enough to give the woman to one of you as a reward. I will be sure to point him to the ones who have contributed most to this hunt".

His words were met with laughter and nods of approval from the men, and Aurelius could see the glint in their eyes at the prospect of taking a female for themselves. No doubt this would provide them with much needed motivation for the road ahead, but when the time would come to capture the runaways, Aurelius would need to make sure he kept control over them and not allow them to rip their prey to pieces before he got the chance to get his reward from Caesar himself.


Exhausted from their trek and with the cool breeze and calming sound of the crickets, Ash was finding it hard to stay awake. Her body shivered in protest to her staying awake for so long and she pulled the blanket around her shoulders tighter, trying to relax her muscles so her teeth chattering wouldn't wake her son and Aelius.

'Another hour or so, then I'll wake him up', she thought to herself.

The moon had disappeared beyond the horizon a while ago and engulfed the serene field in complete darkness, save for the twinkling stars above them. The fire they had made in their pit had died to embers but Ash didn't want to add any more timber to it fearing that they could be spotted by anyone who could be around. In the darkness, her mind swam in terrifying thoughts of Cannibal tribes that could be lurking behind the trees, or rabid molerats that were just waiting to spring out from the ground and attack them.

'Get a hold of yourself! You're not a little girl anymore', she chastised herself, feeling somewhat embarrassed that she would still be afraid of the dark in her advancing years.

When she finally dragged her mind out of the dark recesses of her own thoughts and heaved a silent sigh to relax herself, she felt the hackles on the back of her neck rise and a deep, primal fear bubble from within.

The crickets has stopped chirping.

Ash's heart began to race in her chest and she felt an instinct in her gut kick her into motion. Although she couldn't see what was causing this primal reaction within herself, she knew she had to act on it.

"Aelius… Aelius! Wake up!" she whispered urgently, shaking him awake.

"Wh…what is it?" he muttered, taking in a deep breath as he woke, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, but something doesn't feel right", she shivered as Aelius sat up and grabbed his machete.

She was right. Not long after Aelius woke, he felt a cold shiver up his spine.

"The crickets…they've stopped", Aelius commented in a hushed voice, "I'll get Gael and the bag, you get our sleeping bags".

Before Ash could do anything, they heard a familiar sound some distance away that made their blood run cold. It was the guttural, low rumble of a Deathclaw.

"Hurry", Aelius whispered, slinging the bag over his shoulder and cradling Gael in his arms. Thankfully the boy was still asleep. He could hear Ash's light footsteps behind him as they made their way down the hill, hearts pounding in their ears and feeling the rush of adrenaline give their legs speed.

Deathclaws are notoriously stubborn hunters, tracking their prey for hours, sometimes days. Though their eyesight is poor their other senses easily make up for that. Deathclaws have the ability to detect and track their prey even at long distances, their hearing can detect the slightest rustling up to a mile away, and some Deathclaws even have the ability to camouflage themselves perfectly into their background, making them extremely difficult to find. Luckily, due to their large size and weight, Deathclaws aren't able to run for long periods of time and so if action is taken quickly, people can easily outrun them and get to safety. Aelius hoped that the Deathclaw hadn't picked up on their scent and that they left with enough time that they could outrun it.


Ash and Aelius didn't stop running until dawn broke on the horizon. Gael had woken up a while ago but was keeping quiet, his eyes wide and watching their surroundings fearfully. No doubt he could sense their fear, and when Ash took him into her arms to hug him he clutched onto her as if his life depended on it.

"Do you think we lost it?" Ash panted, sweat glistening on her face as her hair stuck to her skin.

"I dunno… Hope so", Aelius huffed, wiping beads of sweat off his brow, "We'll rest for a few moments here".

Ash nodded and took a deep drink of water from one of their supply bottles, passing it to Aelius when she finished.

Once he took a moment to catch his breath, something caught Aelius' eye on the horizon in front of them. It was still a little dark to see with full clarity, but he was certain that he could see an outline of some buildings in the distance.

"I think we'll be okay. Look", he pointed to the horizon ahead, "Looks like there's some shelter there. At the very least, a settlement".

"You're right", Ash breathed deeply, hugging her son tight, "I just hope what we find there isn't as bad as what was behind us".

Giving them both another few moments to catch their breaths, Aelius picked Gael back up and they were on their feet again, heading in the direction of the buildings. From time to time Aelius glanced behind them, wary of the fact that they almost had a close encounter with a Deathclaw. Thankfully he couldn't see anything following them, but that didn't mean that they were safe. He pressed on with Ash, giving her words of encouragement when he caught her faltering or strafing off to one side. She was visibly exhausted and barely able to keep her eyes open. Aelius felt guilty that he didn't insist on taking the first watch himself; at least she would have gotten some rest then.

"We're almost there. Just another mile or two", he commented, propping Gael up in his arms and gently holding Ash by arm so she didn't slack on her pace or trip on her feet. They could see the buildings in front of them, and from its initial appearance, it didn't seem to be populated. The tallest building was a church with a tall bell tower. If the inside of the church was still intact, it would make a good place to get up there and use the tower as a vantage point to get a good view of the surroundings.

Finally, after a painstaking hour, the three of them reached the church.

"I'll go in front, you cover my back", he whispered to Ash. She nodded, keeping her machete at the ready as Aelius opened the creaky door and led them inside slowly and carefully.

It was dark and musty in the church, but there didn't seem to be anyone or anything around. Aelius guided them down the centre of the pews and to the back where the stairs took them to the upper level. Although it was dusty and all the glass windows had been destroyed, the church itself was in good condition given its situation. There was a room on the first floor with a metal frame double bed, a storage shelf on the wall and a desk to one side with an old-world typewriter and office accoutrements. Whoever had used this room before was long gone by now.

Aelius set Gael down on the springy bed, "Alright, both of you stay here and keep your eyes and ears open for anything. I'm going to check for traps and any unwanted visitors", he whispered to Ash.

"Be careful", she whispered back, a concerned look on her weary and sweaty face. They didn't move while Aelius checked every nook and cranny, including the top of the bell tower. Every creak and groan of the building's structure made Gael and Ash twitch with fear. When Aelius didn't find anything of concern, he came back down to quell their worries.

"We're alright here in the church, but I would like to take a look around the area in the afternoon after we have some rest", he said, laying down his machete on the floor.

Ash was barely holding her eyes open, "That's good… I could use a little shut eye".

Aelius nodded and gave her an encouraging smile, "That sounds good. You and Gael rest up and I'll keep an eye out".

"You sure?" Ash asked sleepily, "What about you?"

"I'm fine. Besides, I've already had a doze before we were rudely interrupted by the Deathclaw", he took a blanket out of his bag and placed it over her and Gael, "I insist".

Ash smiled and nodded, pulling Gael close to her. With Aelius watching over them less than an arm's length away, she felt safe and sound. Her eyelids felt so heavy that as soon as they closed with a flutter, all her worries washed away and she fell fast asleep.