*** Adult content in this chapter***

Midnight. Apart from the occasional call from a coyote in the distance and the sound of the wind rustling through the brushes nearby, the New Canaanite settlers were all asleep. Well… all except two.

The silence and stillness inside Ash's cabin was disturbed by the soft scraping of the wooden bed frame on the worn rug and Ash's deep breathing, dispersed with pleasing moans that jolted Aelius' member to attention. He squeezed her right butt cheek with one hand and gently massaged her left breast in the other, watching the tiny glistening beads of sweat like a fine mist sprinkled over her body highlight her seductive curves in the light of the full moon outside. Her hair was dishevelled, eyes barely open as she focused on feeling him as deep inside her as her body would allow. She sighed and bit her lower lip, arching her back while her fingers dug in his pectoral muscles, hips thrusting back and forth in a steady rhythm. This was the best night of Aelius' life.

Her touch, the way she felt inside, and the mere sight of her was agonizing perfection. It was taking all the mental and physical effort he could muster to stop himself from coming instantly, as he did earlier that day by the river. Compared to their afternoon session, and the three they had after the dinner with Ash's mother, Joshua, and his wife Mary, he thought he was doing well and was beginning to feel quite pleased with himself.

They hardly spoke since they got back from the evening meal, but the look in Ash's eyes told him everything he needed to know. He remembered every little detail before losing himself in her. The couch will always have fond memories for him from now on, as will the kitchen counter and… the coffee table in the living room, right before it gave way to their passion. He made a note to himself to fix it in the morning.

Ash had a power over him so strong that she could command him with a look, a simple movement of her body and he was off, falling into an ecstatic bliss where everything that he was is obliterated. In that moment there was no Aelius, lost to himself he is no one and the only sound he can hear are her moans, pushing him closer and closer to the precipice. And as much as she had paid attention to him in their rowdy activities, he did even more so for her – focusing on the sounds she made, guiding him with the way her body moved and writhed with every approving touch, the delectable sighs and moans that escaped her lips and the tremble in her thighs when he pushed her over the edge, her back arching up and her legs spreading as wide as they could reach when she climaxed. In fact, he was even surprised by his own hidden talent that he never thought he had. He loved going down on her, feeling the plump soft pink lips between her thighs give way to the caressing of his tongue as he explored her depths, eagerly tasting her and wanting more. Just before he found himself lying flat on his back with Ash straddling his member, he'd had an incredible experience as she climaxed while he was sucking and licking on her lips, probing her depths and feeling her muscles pulsate around his tongue. He could feel those same sensations pulsating around his member now as her back arched and she leaned forward, her fingers digging into his straining pectoral muscles and a wild look in her eyes.

"Come for me" she breathed deeply, leaning down to kiss him. Her hair cascaded down her left shoulder and pleasingly tickled his neck and lower jaw, "Come for me Aelius".

He gasped, his gaze transfixed on Ash, burning the image of her into his mind as he began to feel the sweet release like a warm fire spread through him and take over. His arms instinctively wrapped around her, one arm around her upper back and shoulders, and the other over her waist and hip, holding her close to him as he lost control over his own body; all he could hear were her loud moans as his hips thrust up and down in deep and quick successions. When the rollercoaster of pleasure came to a slow and steady end, he noticed a strange warm sensation around his member and inner thighs. Worrying that he'd potentially hurt Ash, he blinked his eyes open and forced himself back to the physical world.

"Did I hurt you?" he gently rolled them both until they were lying on their sides and he could get a better look at her.

Ash's lower body was trembling, but she didn't seem hurt or in discomfort; in fact, her face was flushed, and she was sporting the most satisfied grin he'd ever seen.

"Oh…my God…", she panted, running her fingers through his short hair, "…that was amazing".

Aelius heaved a sigh of relief, burrowing his face in her bosom, "I was worried I went too far and hurt you".

"No", she shook her head emphatically, running her fingers down his neck and past his shoulder blades, sending satisfying shivers up his spine, "Just the opposite. I've never felt like that before… Never felt that intense".

"Never?" Aelius sported a cheeky grin, feeling a sense of pride in his efforts.

She laughed and touched her forehead to his, kissing the tip of his nose and running the tips of her fingers over his shoulders and down his spine. They gazed at each other in bliss, intoxicated with one another, but before they could fall asleep in each other's arms Aelius noticed something cold under his hip; a damp patch on the bed. He shifted back, feeling for it with his hands, "I think we need to change the sheets"

"Oh… sorry", he saw her blush in the pale moonlight.

"For what?"

"That's my fault", she got out of bed on shaky legs and brought out a fresh set of linens while Aelius removed the marked one with a confused look on his features.

"I don't understand how".

"Well…" she hesitated, feeling embarrassed to talk about that matter, "When I… experience things that intensely… This always happens".

"So… It's normal?" Aelius tilted his head. He was learning so many interesting things this night.

"Well, yeah, I guess… At least, it's normal for me", she nodded curtly.

"So, there's nothing to be sorry about. If it felt good and right, there's nothing wrong about it", he said, helping Ash tuck the linens around the corners before getting back into bed with her.

"I know it's just… I didn't want you to be…", her eyes averted from his and he could tell she was feeling uncomfortable.

"What?"

"Disgusted by it…by me".

"Ash, I love you and could never feel that way, no matter what you did".

"You what?" Ash's eyes widened in surprise and her gaze was fixed on him, as if she had just heard the impossible.

"I could never -"

"No – no, what you said before that"

"That… I love you?" he gazed at her uncertainly, wondering if that was the wrong thing to say. He didn't have long to doubt though as Ash moved on top of him, straddling him as she did before and kissed him passionately.

"Does that mean you love me too?" he asked curiously, his voice muffled by her kisses.

"What do you think?" her gaze was enrapturing and, despite feeling spent from their intimate activities, he felt his member grow eager at her touch.

Somehow, as simple as saying three words out loud, Ash had become something so much more to him. He knew he had strong feelings about her for a long time, he knew he was falling in love with her. Ash, the woman who lit a fire in his very core and flipped his world the right way up, was the one person who gave him hope for the future and helped him realise his past does not define him, despite the pain and suffering the Legion had inflicted on her.

When he thought about it, it was crazy what a shift had come about both of them; all because of a crazy little thing called love.

Sitting at the campfire in the middle of the settlement with Aelius and some of the other New Canaanites next morning, Ash sipped her hot cup of coffee, savouring its earthy aroma and agave sweetened flavour. Aelius sat close beside her, so close that the sides of their hips and shoulders were touching and she could feel the warmth of his body permeate through her thin clothing. They stole glances at one another like lovesick teenagers, hoping no one around them would notice. All Ash could do was think about how amazing last night was. The physical connection she shared with Aelius was like nothing she experienced with other men in the past… Not that she had much to go on in the first place. Her husband was only the second man she'd ever been with – of her own volition - and although the intimacy she shared with him was satisfying, he wasn't as open about Ash's climactic results like Aelius is, let alone as eager to please.

Being with Aelius was somehow incredibly freeing, and she felt the boundaries in her mind melt away whenever she was with him. She recalled her apprehension when she saw his member engorged. He was certainly the 'biggest' and girthiest man she had ever bedded, but now she knew she needn't have felt nervous, after she experienced how wonderful it felt to have him inside her. She also liked how attentive he was with her, and despite not having experience with women she was impressed with his…oral skills. Just the thought of him going down on her sent eager rippling shivers between her legs.

"Good morning!" Dawn's voice called behind them, jolting them both out of their infatuated reveries.

"Mother!" Ash jerked up out of her seat, annoyingly spilling a bit of coffee on her clean shirt, "I didn't think you'd be up this early on a Saturday".

"I could say the same for you", Dawn's eyebrow cocked as she glanced at Ash and Aelius, who was standing behind Ash with an awkward way about him, "Well… I guess it's going to be one of those mornings where you need a coffee to get through the day".

"Yeah, guess so", Ash nodded, moving to sit back down at her seat.

"Oh, Ash. Mary wanted to know if you would like to join her at noon. You left so abruptly last night the dear didn't get a chance to ask you herself".

"Alright… I guess", Ash's brow furrowed in confusion, "Why?"

"She said something about collecting some medicinal herbs. We are running low on medicines and it would be good to get some herbal plants, so we don't deplete our stocks".

"Fine, I'll tag along".

Ash waited until her mother was out of sight and earshot before she let her guard down with Aelius.

"We should tell her", Aelius whispered, leaning close to her to avoid any curious bystanders from overhearing their conversation.

"We will… Just… give it a bit of time", Ash pursed her lips, her mind racing frantically through possible scenarios of how that conversation would go down.

"Time for what?" Aelius looked perplexed.

"If we tell her now, she's going to freak out", Ash huffed, "We have to… Build it up gradually, otherwise her head will explode".

"She seemed fine with us at dinner last night", Aelius shrugged, "I'm sure she suspects something is going on. It'll only make things more complicated if we delay being honest with her".

"Alright, alright. I agree we should tell her, but we've got time; we're in no rush", her eyes glanced up at him pleadingly, and all Aelius could do in response to that was sigh and defer to her judgement.

Morning passed quickly and before Ash had time to catch up on her chores, Mary came by ready for their little excursion, leaving Aelius to watch over Gael while the two women went in search of anything useful.

They walked together with a somewhat awkward silence between them, dispersed by idle small talk, but Ash had a feeling that there was something on Mary's mind that she wanted to ask her. It wasn't until they left the perimeter of the settlement that the conversations started to feel more like information prodding.

"So, how is everything with you and Aelius?" Mary asked after they left the settlement's perimeter.

"Fine…" Ash answered awkwardly. After a moment of silence between them she had a panicked thought. Why would Mary ask about how everything was with her and Aelius? Did she know about them? "Why do you ask?"

"Given the short history Joshua gave me about him, I felt curious and wanted to make sure that you are alright".

"Hmmm… Well, like I said - I'm fine", Ash re-adjusted her rucksack to a more comfortable position, "Besides, I doubt Joshua is the ideal person to talk about Aelius' history".

"I know", Mary nodded in agreement, "Joshua's own history is…problematic as well. But he has done a lot of good since then, as I can imagine Aelius has as well".

"Yes, he has", Ash's voice trailed off as memories of that night she was stopped by the Legionaries came flooding back. Her blood ran cold when she recalled the leader and the hunger in his eyes…

"Did he tell you what his real name is?" Mary asked curiously.

"What?"

"His name. The name he had before he was forced to be a Legionary soldier".

Ash thought for a moment and shook her head, "No… Only Aelius". She'd never thought to ask him what his given birth name was; as a matter of fact, she hardly knew anything about him.

"Joshua was called the Malpais Legate in the Legion. Can you imagine?" she chuckled, making the lines in Ash's brow deepen. How could anyone laugh at that, at the blatant stripping of an individual's identity and replacing it with something so…sinister?

"I didn't know that. Then again I didn't really pay attention to all the commotion about the Legion".

"I'd only heard whispers about them from other tribes, before my own settlement was destroyed", Mary replied candidly, "There are moments when I wonder if the tribe that killed my family and friends did so because of the Legion… As a way of proving to Caesar that they are worthy".

Looking up at Mary, Ash felt a curious sense of wonderment at how she was able to handle such an excruciating experience so well, and not only that, but remain a good and kind person. From Ash's experience and observation, most people who went through such a horrific ordeal were forever changed, becoming as bitter and violent as the ones who had caused them harm. "I'm sorry to hear that…"

Mary nodded in thanks and kept her eyes in front of her, "I'm glad to hear that you and Aelius are doing well. I'm surprised how easily he has adjusted to living life with all of us".

"Me too", Ash smiled, "Though from what he has told me about life in the Legion, it's something he had been hoping to get away from… Though, I remember he mentioned he still has family trapped in the Legion camps".

"Oh", Mary's voice was sombre, "That must be very difficult for him".

Ash nodded without saying a word, feeling a lump in the back of her throat. She wondered whether Aelius wanted to go back for his family, now that he was free; she wondered if the reason why he hadn't gone back for them was because of her. It was something that had been sitting in the back of her mind, but now with her conversation with Mary it became glaringly obvious that she needed to speak with him about these things.

"He's lucky to have you and Gael though. I can see that you two are very important to him", she smiled kindly at Ash, a knowing look in her eyes.

Before they knew it, they had traversed over two miles away from their settlement and came to a beautifully lush and green area. Mary found a small stream that seemed to have a lot of the herbs and plants they were looking for. They had to be careful though as the area they were in was extremely rocky and if they weren't careful, they could easily lose their footing. Ash noticed some caves nearby too with some markings at the front.

"Hey, do you think it would be worth checking that cave out?", Ash nodded in the direction of one of the caves.

"I dunno… 'Spose we could go and take a look", Mary answered, tightening the drawstring on her full bag. They carefully clambered down the rocky ledge, making their way to the dark mouth of the cave.

"What if there are yau guai in there?" Ash stopped dead in her tracks, a cold shiver running down her spine at the thought of running into one in a pitch-black cave.

"I think it's safe", Mary answered looking around, "We'd be able to tell if one was living inside".

"How?"

"They usually mark their territories… and I don't smell anything", Mary sniffed the air for that musky stale scent of yau guai urine. "We'll just have a quick look, no dilly dallying", Mary nodded at Ash, "Caves tend to have some useful plants that I could use to make some medicines".

Ash nodded hesitantly and followed Mary inside the dark mouth of the cave, unaware that their every move was being watched not far away.

One of Ash's biggest fears of caves was encountering the cave resident…or residents. Back when she worked as a caravan trader, she heard horror stories of encounters with monstrous creatures from both soldiers, civilians and traders; the one she feared encountering the most were Nightstalkers. Suddenly her heart began to race with fear, and she had the urge to turn and run.

"I don't know about this", Ash's hushed voice broke the silence in the darkness.

"Shh", Mary stopped ahead of her, holding out her arm so Ash didn't bump into her, "You hear that?"

"What?" Ash asked, but the more she focused and slowed her breathing, she did begin to hear a faint electric hum ahead of them.

Without another word the two women proceeded deeper into the cave, winding a corner inside and saw lightly flickering light ahead of them. Cautiously moving forward without making a sound, they stopped and peaked around the corner.

"Woah!" Ash sighed in wonder at what she saw. It was a large open space inside, with a hole in the ceiling that was offering some light from the outside world for them. But what was most impressive was the layout of the space. There was a makeshift bed made out of straw and sticks in the far corner, a crate with a computer terminal sitting on top of it, electric cabling that supplied power to the some of the machinery and lights that were peppered around the floorspace, and junk…lots of random junk.

"Careful!" Ash pointed out a shot gun trap that was set up a couple of paces ahead of them, "We've gotta disarm that first".

Mary nodded and followed Ash's lead, watching as she got to work on the snare, her fingers expertly cutting the cable and removing the shotgun.

"This'll come in handy!" Ash grinned, looking the weapon over before securing it in her pack.

They observed the area for a silent moment, wondering whether the occupier was nearby and if they should make themselves known. Mary approached the terminal on the desk, running a finger across the dusty surface.

"Looks like whoever used to live here has abandoned it", she said in a hushed voice, "I don't think we have to worry about being ambushed".

"Alright. Let's see what we can find and get outta here", Ash nodded, feeling a cold shiver run down her spine.

It was a good thing Ash and Mary decided to explore this cave, for they were able to find a plethora of resources. There were canned goods that were still edible, boxed Mac and Cheese, half a dozen boxes of Fancy Lad's Snack Cakes which Ash knew would make her son squeal with joy, bottles of Nuka Cola and purified water. In a footlocker at the end of the bed they found some medical supplies; three stimpacks, a bottle of Rad-X, antibiotics and some rubbing alcohol which would do nicely for the many scrapes and cuts the settlers were having to deal with.

"This is a treasure trove!" Mary whispered excitedly.

"Good thing we found this place", Ash stood in the centre of the space and examined it, "We could use this place as a backup shelter in case anything happens at camp".

"That's a good idea", Mary nodded, "I'm filled up with medicines and as much of the food supplies as I can carry. How are you doing?"

Ash checked her stuffed pack and nodded happily, "I'm all good here. We should go drop these things off and come back later for the rest".

"Just a sec, I want to have a look at the terminal. See if there is any information on here that would be useful".

"Why? We can do that later", Ash's brow furrowed.

"Well whoever set up camp here went through great efforts to make it habitable and even brought in power. It's worth a quick look", Mary pulled up a chair and sat at the desk, her hands hovering over the keys as she worked on hacking the terminal. After a short moment the terminal unlocked with a satisfying beep and displayed some log entries.

"This is interesting", Mary leaned forward closer to the screen.

"What is?"

"These entries… They were made in 2077 and 2078", Mary looked up at Ash in wonder, "Whoever lived here… They must have been a survivor of the Great War".

Ash leant down next to Mary, squinting at the screen in front of them, "Let's have a look".

The first log entry was made on October 28th 2077:

Five days on foot, still can't sleep.

Outside it's like nothing happened. Sky looks wrong, that's all.

Hike back to overturned NatGuard truck near Toquerville? After blisters heal, maybe.

Looks like USGS team was researching something here in cave. Cleared out when bombs fell, left equipment behind. Probably thought they had families to run back to.

October 29th:

Char, must've said this out loud a thousand times walking here. Maybe writing it will feel more like you heard.

You were right.

I was north of Spanish Fork. Took the 77 along Provo Bay to steer clear of town. Would've been home in an hour. Engine died, truck just stopped. So did a Chryslus in other lane. Knew right away.

First nuke hit SLC inside a minute. I was looking South – Lucky Man! Flash behind me so bright world looked on fire. Old couple from the Chryslus starts screaming they can't see.

Didn't watch you die, Char. Saved my eyes. Counted 12 more flashes next 7 minutes. Ground shook each time, 18 seconds later.

When nothing hit for half hour, took a look. Globe of fire where you and Alex died. Didn't kid myself.

Didn't know what to do. Grabbed my pack and rifle.

Saw to the old couple. Sat them up against car, let them hold and comfort each other.

Told them I was going to get help, everything be okay. One bullet through both heads. Instant.

Five day hike back to Zion.

You told me. Stop running off to the wild. Man belongs with his family.

You were right. You were right. You were right. You were right. Wasn't there to hold you and my boy. Died without me. Never touch you or him again.

Should shoot myself. What I deserve.

Can't. Maybe soon.

October 31st:

Black rain falling outside. Geiger jumping. Should let it kill me but bottling water from back of cave all the same.

November 2nd:

Sounds dead outside, but can't look. Geiger goes lethal 15 feet from cave mouth.

Do the math. Radiation goes down before water runs out or I never leave this cave.

Mary heaved a heavy sigh and wiped a tear that had run down her face, "Poor man… I can't imagine what surviving the end of the world must have been like for him".

The journal entry had an impact on Ash as well, though she did her best to hide it, "C'mon, we should go. We have a long trek ahead of us and not a lot of daylight left".

Picking up their gear and packs stuffed with supplies, they made their way out of the dark cave, mindful of where they stepped in case there were any more booby traps. When they reached the exit, Ash took out her pocketknife and scored a cross on a crumbling rock on the side of the cave.

"There. If we remember how to get here, we'll know we've explored this cave".

Mary nodded approvingly and just as they started to set out back in the direction they came from, a dozen men and women quickly approached and surrounded them, carrying clubs and yau guai bear claws. They wore very little clothing, enough to cover their modesty and had intricate lines painted on their bodies and some on their faces, and all of them had shaved heads.

"What the hell?!" Ash exclaimed, taking out her shotgun and aiming it at the nearest one, "Get back!"

"You have entered one of the Father's caves!" one of the women called out as she approached them, "It is forbidden for anyone to enter!" Despite sporting the same shaved haircut as the rest of her friends, she was extremely beautiful. She was taller than Ash, with elegant features an symmetrical nose, deep blue eyes, a yau guai bear claw on her right arm and a fan of feathers behind her head that made her look like she had a halo around her.

"The what?" Ash's brow furrowed, her shotgun still aimed at them.

"Have you not heard of the god of the New Canaanites? He is our protector and our judge. He helped our ancestors find their peace here in Zion".

"We apologise, we didn't know these caves are sacred to you", Mary stepped forward, resting a hand on Ash's shoulder, "If you let us go, we promise not to disturb any more of your sacred caves".

"We cannot allow that!" One of the men took a step forward, a stern and angry expression on his attractive features, "You have plundered the father's cave! Taken his goods!"

"Please, we don't want any trouble. If we return the items, will you let us go?"

"No!" the man answered angrily, but the woman who had spoken first raised her hand to silence him. Without another word, the man's gaze dropped to the ground and he took a couple of steps back. It was clear that she was in charge here.

"We will honor your request. Since you are outsiders and do not know of our ways, we will allow this…once".

"Thank you", Mary sighed and nodded to Ash to drop the weapon.

"What? They want this too?" she asked sceptically.

"Everything Ash", Mary answered, dropping her bag and taking out all the items she had taken from the cave.

"But we need this for the others!"

"Ash… please", Mary looked at her with a pleading look in her eyes until Ash finally relented and dropped her things on the dusty ground.

"That's everything", Mary nodded at the woman, watching as she moved closer to inspect the supplies. After she was satisfied that all items were returned, she nodded to her people and they took a less aggressive stance.

"I am Waking Cloud. Leader of the Sorrows tribe", the woman introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you Waking Cloud. I am Mary and this is Ash. Our tribe are the New Canaanites".

At the mention of New Canaanites, Waking Cloud's eyes widened in surprise, "You are New Canaanites?"

"Yes", Ash answered with a bored tone in her voice, "Will you allow us to leave now?"

"I must go with you", Waking Cloud's voice was urgent and before Ash and Mary had an opportunity to say otherwise, the other members of the Sorrows tribe picked up their belongings, along with the items they plundered from the caves, and led them back up the path they came.

Ash and Mary looked at each other warily, wondering what was going to happen to them and their family. Whatever happened, Ash hoped that they could find a peaceful solution to this situation. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation between the New Canaanites and these native tribes, all because she and Mary made an ignorant mistake of defiling their sacred grounds.

Activity outside of the medical tent woke Olivia with a start. She rubbed her eyes and looked around her surroundings, trying to gauge how long she'd been asleep and wondered what was going on out there. Wrapping her blanket around her shoulders to keep warm, she tiptoed to the tent flap and cautiously pulled it open, peering out at the dimly lit world outside. It wasn't even dawn so whatever was going on must be important. Not far away in front of the command tent, Olivia saw someone dressed in odd looking armour - a long worn trench coat that reached their calves, military boots and a helmet with glowing red eyes and what appeared to be a compact gas mask – speaking with Polatli. A tall man wearing aviator sunglasses stood next to them wearing the same crimson beret that she saw Drew don, with his impressive sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. He had a serious and intimidating look about him, as if he were a man who had nothing to lose.

Catching a glimpse of Drew sitting alone at a bench nearby sipping on a steaming cup of coffee, she decided to brave the outdoors and ask him what was going on.

"Oh, good morning!" Drew smiled at her, trying to stifle a yawn, "Didn't expect you'd be up this early".

"I heard voices and rushed footsteps outside the tent", she averted her eyes to the ground.

"Come have a seat. We can try to listen in on the conversation", he lightly tapped the free spot on the bench next to him.

Olivia hesitated, but after catching some snippets of information from Major Polatli and the newcomer her curiosity got the better of her.

"From what I've been able to hear so far, the Courier has some news about the war".

"Courier?" Olivia tilted her head in curiosity.

"The one in the trench coat", Drew nodded, "And from the sound of things… Looks like things are going good for the NCR".

"What's going to happen?"

Drew screwed up his face in contemplation and took another sip of his drink, "Most likely we'll get sent to the front".

His words made her flinch visibly and shift in her seat, which he seemed to notice.

"Don't worry, we're not going yet. And 1st Recon always fights from a distance", he winked at her, though she could tell that he was worried.

They sat together in silence, watching the Major and the Courier walk into the tent together while the Courier's companion stayed outside, his expression unchanged. Olivia found herself staring at him, so long that he must have noticed and turned his attention to her. Feeling her face blush she averted her gaze to the ground in submission.

"I'm gonna go talk to him, see if I can get some information from him", Drew exhaled, standing up from his seat and stretching until he heard a satisfying click in his back. She watched him as he approached the intimidating man and her ears open to their conversation. After a couple of minutes Drew didn't seem like he was making any headway with the man who simply stood there like a statue and whose only responses seemed to be "No" and a shake of the head. With a defeated look about him, Drew made his way back to the bench, exhaling loudly as he sat back down.

"Well… I think I would have had better luck speaking with a brick wall", he leaned forward on his elbows and downed his bitter coffee in one swig.

Olivia opened her mouth to say something but quickly changed her mind. She wanted to offer him some solace but didn't know exactly what to say. What could she say? His and her world were completely different, and the worries she faced were not the same as his.

Another quarter of an hour passed before the Courier stepped outside alone and joined back up with their companion. They exchanged some brief words before the Courier nodded and moved to the food tent and poured themselves a cup of coffee. They looked around for a free seat and that's when Drew waved them down, causing the other 1st Recon sniper to scowl in disapproval when their companion quickly moved to take the free seat.

"Hey, thanks!" they replied, taking off their mask.

Olivia bit back her surprise when she saw the Courier was a woman, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Name's Six, nice to meet ya", she held out her hand to Olivia with a warm and friendly smile.

"Olivia", she answered, cautiously taking Six's hand in her own.

"Drew. Andrew Moore, 1st Recon sniper at your service ma'am", Drew smiled back at her.

"I've already got one of those", she smirked, looking back at her companion, "Come on Boone, grab a cup o' coffee and have a seat with us". The man complied with her request without a word, though Olivia could tell he wasn't thrilled with it.

He sat opposite Olivia and took off his sunglasses, revealing a tired and weathered looking face. Despite his exhausted appearance, he was a handsome man with a strong jaw, low arched eyebrows, green eyes, and a scar on the left side of his face just in front of his ear running down to his jaw. He really was an intimidating figure, and in his presence Olivia tried to make herself as inconspicuous as a mouse.

"So how are things going out there?" Drew asked curiously, "Any word on when we'll be hitting the front?"

"So far so good", Six took a sip of her coffee, her lips pursing in a grimace when she tasted how bitter her drink, "We're pushing Caesar's Legion back with every region we retake; but the Legion is getting ready to mount an attack soon. I wouldn't be surprised if we are engaged in war within a month or two".

"That soon?" Olivia's asked worryingly.

Six shrugged and played with a Nuka Cola bottlecap between her fingers, "From what I've seen and heard; yeah, I think so".

"Well whenever it happens, we're ready", Drew answered with more confidence than he felt.

Olivia saw Boone's eyes shift to examine Drew critically before going back to his own coffee, downing it in one swig.

"Right, I have to make a pit stop at the Doc's office for some supplies. You kids talk amongst each other and, Boone… Be nice", she gave her companion a pat on the shoulder before moving off and into the Medical Tent.

"So… How long have you two known each other?" Drew tried to make conversation with the grizzled sniper.

"Not long", the man answered, looking off into the distance.

"I guess you don't need to know someone for very long to become friends, eh?"

Boone's eyes shifted to Drew, giving him an uninterested look.

"Kind of like me and Olivia here", Drew tried to move the conversation forward, "Though I guess, we've known each other from afar for about a month or two". When Boone didn't respond Drew carried on speaking, though Olivia wished he wouldn't, "Up until recently, Olivia was our informant in the Legion. We communicated using mirror shards to send old Morse Code signals to each other from across the river".

This seemed to perk the sniper up and he sat up straighter in his seat, his attention now uncomfortably focused on Olivia; but this time the lines around his eyes softened.

"You…were a slave?" he asked

The intensity of his gaze was palpable.

"Yes", she answered flatly as her heart began to race in her chest.

"She was invaluable to our fight against the Legion", now Drew's admiring gaze was focused on her as well, making her feel self-conscious, "If it wasn't for the intelligence she sent our way, we wouldn't have gained the upper hand on those bastards".

"I really didn't do much", she rubbed the back of her neck, trying to help relax herself.

"I'm sorry that you had to suffer for so long", Boone's gaze connected with hers, "I promise you I'll…we'll… make them pay for what they've done to you and other innocents". There was a deadly tone in his voice that made her blood run cold. He stood back up and gave her a curt nod before moving in the direction of the Medical tent to meet up with the Courier.

"Wait", Olivia called out, stopping Boone in his tracks, "I have a brother… Christopher. He was… is in the Caesar's Legion. We were separated when they captured us but I know he's a Prime Legionary with light brown hair and blue eyes. If you see him, or someone like that, please… please spare them".

Boone didn't turn to acknowledge her, didn't even give her a nod; he simply disappeared inside the tent without a word, leaving her with a void of hopelessness that spread throughout her body. She couldn't rely on these soldiers to keep an eye out for her brother; if she wanted to find her family, then she needed to do something.

Drew tried to comfort her but there was nothing he, nor anyone else, could say that would make her feel any better.

"I just want to do something", Olivia exhaled in frustration, "I can't sit here and do nothing while you all go off to fight in the war. And I can't stand by and let my brother be killed".

"You've already done a heck of a lot", Drew answered, "And don't worry about your brother. When the time comes… I'll keep an eye out for him and make sure the others know who to look out for".

"That's not enough", Olivia stood up, shaking her head.

"Alright!", Drew got up with her, "Alright then… If you really want to get involved, then we'll think of something…", the lines in his brow deepened as he considered what possible options were available that would ease Olivia's worries, "Hey, we can go see the Major and bring this up with him! See what he says and come up with a way you can get involved. How does that sound?"

'That's…not a bad idea', Olivia thought, feeling some of her anxiety begin to simmer down. She nodded and thanked Drew for his help.

"Great!" he gestured for her to sit back down with him, "Now; let's you and I come up with some ideas to bring up with him".

Andrew and Olivia sat together and spent over an hour outlining as many points as they could to bring up with the Major. Although it was a tough start in the beginning, when they began getting into more details about her skill sets and knowledge, Drew was finding new sides to this woman he had admired for months from afar. He enjoyed listening to her speak of her past, her vast technical and engineering knowledge as well as small fragments of her history before her life in the Legion. By the time they'd finished they'd come up with a plan and he had a speech prepared in his mind that was sure to convince the Major to let her offer some assistance. What he wouldn't come to realise until later on was that the more time he spent with Olivia, the more his admiration for her began to blossom into something more…